


Because You're Worth It

by sayalittleprayerforloki



Category: Loki: Agent of Asgard, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Attempted Sexual Assault, BAMF Loki (Marvel), Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Jotunn Loki (Marvel), Loki (Marvel) Gets a Hug, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Loki (Marvel) Redemption, Loki uses his magic entirely too much, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Not Thor: Ragnarok (2017) Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Loki (Marvel), Sweet Loki (Marvel), Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:21:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 28,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23607472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sayalittleprayerforloki/pseuds/sayalittleprayerforloki
Summary: Loki is forced out of Asgard after his fall from grace, and is required to reach certain milestones by maintaining a positive relationship with humanity. Loki, desperate to regain his status as prince, meets a charming waitress who is perfect to check all of his boxes.
Relationships: Loki/Katherine, Loki/OFC, Loki/Original Female Character
Comments: 40
Kudos: 89





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic, so constructive criticism is welcome. Enjoy!

"Hey baby, why don't you lean over and give me a refill!" The man's name was Hugh, and he was a regular at the restaurant where Katherine worked. Katherine stiffened, sighed internally, and gave Hugh a saccharine smile.

"I'll be right back with your champagne, Mr. Stevenson." Her response was appropriate, but Katherine still felt sick to her stomach as she walked back to the kitchen. Hugh was a loyal patron at La Tableau, one of the nicest french restaurants in New York City. His father always ordered the expensive wines that she could never hope to afford, so her manager Brandon always put his best servers on staff at Hugh’s family’s table.

It wasn't just the wine. Hugh was old money, and not the chivalrous, dark academia kind either: they were the kind that owned a bit of real estate and acted like they owned those on it as well. 

Katherine refilled his flute for the fourth time in an hour and walked back to the private table, feeling his eyes trail lazily from her sneakers to her apron-covered skirt before resting on her breasts.

“Lookin’ good, kitty kat,” Hugh smirked. Katherine felt her body tense up again, her nose crinkling on one side like it did when she found something truly repulsive but was too polite to show it. Hugh always called her that, a play off her name and less than subtle hint about what he wanted out of her. She hated it, but Hugh had been hitting on waitresses at _La Tableau_ since he was a teen, and the owner's nose was too stuffed in Hugh's father's ass to do anything serious about it. 

"Let me know when you're ready for the check," Katherine said shortly. She wanted to close this tab as fast as she could, but sometimes the Stevenson family tips were the difference between a cab home or a three mile walk, and she had been on her feet all day.

"When are you gonna be ready for... other things, doll-face?" Hugh raised his voice as she hurried to on the next table over. The married couple in the booth seemed more interested in picking at their foie gras than talking to each other, much less noticing Katherine's harassment. She ignored Hugh, dried her sweating hands on the napkin tucked into her apron, and busied herself arranging each champagne bottle at the perfect angle in the ice bath. She glanced towards the kitchen to find Brandon hurrying over to her as fast as he could, looking flushed and slightly panicked.

"Katherine, we've got a major client opportunity here. Tony Stark's assistant called ahead, booked the whole gang of Avengers. You're my best sales gal, and I want you on their table and their table only. I'll handle whoever is still finishing up." Katherine's heart jumped; not at the chance to see the Avengers (New Yorkers saw the Iron Man fly by all the time) but rather at the chance to get away from Hugh's near-constant attention. She was used to the stares and catcalls, but every time she sacrificed a whistle for a few extra dollars it chipped at her pride.

"Thanks, Brandon. I'll be sure to recommend the top shelf." She smiled, trying to soothe his obviously frayed nerves, and began prepping the large group section of the restaurant usually reserved for Wall Street traders or international delegations. Katherine arranged the white hydrangea centerpieces and asked Élie, the sommelier, to pull the private reserve from the cellar as she straightened gilded plates and smoothed the tablecloth. Not soon after, the polite din of the restaurant cut to whispers and Katherine glanced around the corner to see if the Iron Man had arrived.

Tony Stark had not only arrived, but arrived in style. The restaurant chauffeur opened the door to the sleek Stark Industries limousine, and out stepped Tony Stark, Steve Rodgers, and Thor all dressed to the nines. Natasha Romanoff and Bucky Barnes followed closely behind, shadowed by an unfamiliar man in a deep green suit who seemed the only one affected by the the flashes of the paparazzi's cameras. Brandon opened the door, groveling only a tad more than usual, and pointed to Katherine.

The man between the Black Widow and Winter Soldier was lanky, with caramel brown curls that seemed impervious to the concrete steam room that was New York after a rain shower. Katherine smoothed a hand over her mousy brown waves, now frizzy from her morning commute, and tried to smile invitingly.

"How are y'all this afternoon?" She internally cursed herself for the southern twang that had crept into her voice. Katherine's family was from Texas, and her accent would rear its head when she felt under pressure. "La Tableau's sommelier has opened our private collection of drinks, and we can get started on appetizers whenever you're ready."

Tony nodded appreciatively, and Katherine smiled. It was refreshing to see that the billionaire was down-to-earth enough to acknowledge those in the service industry, and he quickly gained Katherine's respect.

After dealing with Hugh, the bar was on the actual floor. 

Katherine looked past Captain America's broad shoulders to the man that seemed almost tethered to Bucky Barnes, matching the soldier stride-for-stride as he walked to the opposite side of the table. His long legs seemed to eat up the ground when he walked, and his regal posture gave off an air of superiority. He made Katherine nervous, though she didn't know why; she was in the presence of heroes, and this man was more suitable for the front of a magazine cover than a battlefield.

"I'll have the Chandon, please" said Natasha, jerking Katherine's attention away from the sharply dressed man as she folded her menu and held it out to her. The Widow looked Katherine up and down, judging her, weighing her as a threat and dismissing her just as quickly. Bucky ordered the same, and looked expectantly to the man on his right.

"Do you have mead? Halls of Valhalla, I haven't had mead from a private collection in some time" interrupted Thor from across the table. The man next to Bucky chuckled to himself, seeming immensely amused by Katherine's confusion.

"Let's just have champagne for the table, yeah?" asked Steve quickly. "Thor, there's no way this nice young lady has your brand of mead. We'll getcha some when we drop your brother off in Asgard." The blonde god perked up at that, then soured.

"If Loki ever gains the Allfather's approval," he said bitterly, glaring at the man across the table.

* * *

Katherine froze. Thor's brother? Loki, the butcher of New York? He and his army of Chitauri had decimated the tenement complex near her apartment during his "glorious" attack, and Katherine had been in the hospital coughing up a lung for almost a week due to the resulting smoke.

But she got off relatively easy. The aliens he led through that wormhole had massacred thousands of people that day, and forever scarred the concrete jungle that Katherine had grown to love. Everyone in the city had experienced unspeakable atrocities, all committed by the man Thor was scowling at.

The only problem was that he didn't look anything like the Loki that Katherine remembered. There were similarities, certainly: his aristocratic features and crisp suit stood in sharp contrast to his defensive posture and cool gaze. However, his eyes shone green, a far cry from the manic blue plastered all over national news. His hair was much lighter than the oily black she had seen poking out of his horned helm, and while he still towered over her, he was shorter than Katherine had thought. He still radiated power, and when Loki clenched his jaw and glared at the thunder god the tension was palpable.

And what a jawline! Katherine's eyes drifted from his regal features down to the pale, exposed skin gleaming under the jacket he was wearing. She mentally slapped herself. Not only was it unprofessional to admire customers, but this man-no, god-may have committed war crimes and demolished her city. Shaking herself out of her reverie, Katherine pretended she didn't notice the silent conflict of wills and walked to get the drinks that Steve had requested as well as some bread for the table.

"How's it going in there?" asked Brandon. Katherine thought about mentioning Loki, but she wasn't sure that the man was who she thought he was (maybe Loki is a common name on Asgard), and didn't want to risk pandemonium in the restaurant. Brandon was high-strung at the best of times, even more so when the customers were rich or famous. Raising a false alarm seemed like a fast-track to unemployment.

"Just fine, thanks," Katherine said, probably too quickly.

She filled the champagne with trembling fingers, grabbed the bread basket from under the hot plate, and hurried back to the Avengers' table. When she entered through the archway she immediately locked eyes with Loki, who held her stare unflinchingly.

He arched an eyebrow, and Katherine was so focused on his utterly flawless, striking face and piercing eyes that she bobbled the silver tray she was holding, sending the glasses flying and champagne splattering all over Natasha, Thor, and Steve.

Natasha reacted fastest, standing up quickly and glaring at her. Katherine stammered an apology, pulled the napkin free from her apron started to wipe up the mess before Loki spoke softly.

"Don't worry about that, darling. No harm, no foul." He touched the table with a fingertip, and the spill instantly dried, and the champagne glasses appeared at each Avenger's right, filled. "I hope you will pardon my using Seiðr indoors."

Katherine stood, shocked. "How did -I.. magic?" Loki chuckled.

"You don't mind, do you? It's rather useful at times," he winked. Katherine's mind whirled with the implication: Loki was, without a shadow of a doubt, the man who had butchered her city. If Thor couldn't use Seiðr, then the average Asgardian sure couldn't - meaning that Loki was surely the villain of her nightmares. The commander of the Chitauri army. The reason she had panic attacks when the morning was just a bit smoggy. Her breath caught in her throat, and she felt her chest start to tighten. 

"I- I'm sorry," Katherine gasped and started to back up, bumping into the wall and clutching the now empty tray to her chest. She turned, throat constricting, and ducked out of the archway, leaning on the opposite side of the wall for support. 

"Come on, brother. You overwhelmed the poor mortal." Thor frowned in Katherine's direction. 

Behind the wall, Katherine was starting to hyperventilate. Loki was here. In New York. Mere feet from her. And he had called her _darling_? Was he a psychopath? Did he have multiple personalities? Did the Avengers know that this was the real Loki? Her train of thought started to spiral as she started to wheeze. 

"Katherine, are you ok?" Brandon had approached her without her realizing. 

"Fine. Can I get some air?" she gasped. 

"You look pale, Katherine. Take the rest of the day off, I'll handle it from here."

Katherine, shell-shocked, walked to the door and opened it. The humidity felt like a slap to the face, but she barely noticed, tears starting to form in her eyes. She looked at the bright yellow cabs and grimaced - without Hugh's tip, there was no way she could spare the change for the trek to her house, so she kept her head low and started to walk, caught up in her thoughts. Fear, anger, and a hint of... arousal? Katherine couldn't get the image of the charming god she had just met, but she knew that he was a monster. A murderer.

She tucked her arms around her torso and kept walking. All around her, New York bustled - horns honking, sirens wailing, people arguing, cameras flashing, and a familiar nasal voice yelling from a few yards behind her.

"Hey, kitty kat! Lookin' sexy as hell. Need a ride? My Jag's parked down the block."

Katherine groaned internally. Hugh was pushy at the best of times, and he had ingested an absurd amount of champagne at _La Tableau._

"No, thank you, Mr. Stevenson."

"Come on, baby! You know you want to."

"No, Hugh. Please leave me alone."

"It's rude to refuse such a nice gift, little kitty. You're going to have to make it up to me." She hadn't noticed, but he backed her into an alleyway. Katherine was hit by the putrid stench of the alcohol on his breath. "You know you want me."

"I don't! Let- let me go!" Katherine pleaded. Hugh slammed his hands on either side of her, caging her in between himself and the graffitied alley wall. 

"I know you want me to slide that skirt up past your filthy little -" 

Katherine screamed. She squirmed, kicked, bit, did anything to get away from him, but he was stronger than he looked. His hands groped her breasts, her hips, her ass, grabbing the hem of her skirt and starting to tug. She started sobbing, eyes desperately roaming to look anywhere but him, when she locked onto a figure appear in the alleyway. 

"Oh, you little Midgardian. You should not have touched her." Loki was walking like a wraith out of the shadows, speaking low but menacing and clear.

Hugh's head whipped around to glare at the silhouette, but in his distraction Katherine ducked under his outstretched arms and backed further into the corner of the alley away from them both. 

"Who are you, punk? Mind your own business."

Loki strode towards Hugh, humming an unintelligible melody. He was tossing the keys to a car into the air, the tempo of jangling catch and release like a metronome soothing the roaring in Katherine's ears. 

"You will regret you asked." He tossed the keys up again, but when they landed in his palm they elongated into a curved, mirrored dagger as long as Katherine's forearm. Out of his hair grew two gleaming horns of molten gold, cooling into a coronet that circled his brow. In a flash of emerald, Loki stood in full armor - exactly as he had appeared during the Battle of New York.

Hugh fell to the ground and scrabbled backwards. "Mmm..monster!"

"Oh, I'm recently reformed. Though I'm afraid _this_ ," he smirked, "may be a setback. Stay behind me, dove." He spoke the last words over his shoulder, having backed Hugh up so far to the opposite wall that he placed himself squarely between the sniveling man and Katherine. 

Then everything happened faster than Katherine could process. 

In an instant, Loki threw the mirrored knife to pierce Hugh's arm, pinning him to the wall opposite Katherine. He landed a series of blows on Hugh's jaw, kneecaps, and groin, causing the man to crumple, held up only by the knife in his bicep. With a flick of Loki's wrist, Hugh started to scream relentlessly before he choked, vomited, and passed out, eyes rolling back into his head. 

"Mewling quim," Loki spat, then growled under his breath when he saw the rest of the team had found him. 

"What is the meaning of this, Loki?" Thor charged towards him, grabbing him by the neck and angling his body towards the Hugh's crumpled form.

"Come on, man, I thought we were working on this!" said Bucky. 

Loki's hard gaze softened to remorse when he looked at the Winter Soldier. "This mongrel tried to take advantage of her. Penance aside, I could not let him violate an innocent."

Ignoring his brother and the others, Loki stepped over Hugh's limp body, his armor disappearing with a flash and came towards Katherine, a concerned frown on his face. “Darling, I apologize that you had to see that. Did he harm you?”

He stepped closer, but Katherine flinched away. 

Loki's eyes turned hard, and he looked down, then at Tony and Steve. 

"The mortal has undergone serious trauma. Take care of her. I will meet you back at the tower." He turned on his heel, and with one last look at Katherine, he was gone in a flash of green. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the support, y'all!

Katherine blinked awake and saw the sun rising through some linen curtains in the nicest hotel room she had ever seen. She sat bolt upright, mind racing - where was she? Why was she here? And why was this bed so soft? She clutched the duvet to her chest and tried to remember as much as she could, images and memories racing through her mind. 

The Avengers coming to _La Tableau_. Loki preforming magic in the restaurant. Him saving her from Hugh, brutally. 

Her recoiling from him. 

After he had vanished, Tony offered her a room in Avengers Tower to stay the night. Katherine accepted - for whatever reason, she trusted Tony and knew that the high-security tower was safer than her home. Hugh's family could probably find her contact information quickly, and she would rather be in a group if the injury lawyers came knocking.

And, she wanted to be closer to Loki. He, however gruesomely, had chosen to save her, though Katherine didn't understand why. Why would he care about a mortal like her? 

She was pretty enough, but not to attract a god. One look at Jane Foster and anyone would know why Thor had fallen for her: she was drop-dead gorgeous. Katherine was sure that Loki wasn't captured by her beauty or wit. She stuttered uncontrollably the first time she had met him. So why?

It was a game to him, she decided. Another one of his tricks so he could go tell his villain buddies about the way he'd charmed an unsuspecting mortal. Maybe saving her was an act of guilt, a petty attempt at atoning for his sins.

She doubted the man who rescued her was the one who launched an attack on her city, but those horns were unmistakable. Loki of Asgard had saved her life.

She heaved herself out of the most comfortable bed she'd ever had the privilege to sleep in and stood, her socks pressing into the plush carpet. Someone had taken her shoes off for her, but she was glad to see that she was still wearing her apron, top and skirt from the night before. She walked around, taking inventory of the room Tony had given her. There was a massive walk-in closet that was completely empty save for a few velvet hangers, and a luxurious office space near the window. 

Katherine walked towards the mirrored wall on the opposite side of the windows, and jumped back in surprise when the panes slid smoothly to reveal a modern en-suite bathroom. The bathroom was more like a spa than a hotel - it had a rain shower, a hot-tub sized bathtub, and a toilet and bidet combo. Her eyes trailed from the gold-plated sink to the backlit mirror and froze.

She looked hideous!

Her hair looked like a rat had nested in it, and her clothes were filthy. Her mascara had run almost to her jaw, and her lipstick had smeared everywhere _but_ her lips. The top two buttons of her uniform shirt were missing, and the blouse gaped open, loose threads popping out every which way from where the buttons had ripped.

Katherine shuddered, the night's trauma all coming to her at once. She walked to the vanity area and sat down hard on the plush stool. Finding a brush in one of the drawers, she started to work through the tangled mop on her head. 

Suddenly, a pleasant, female voice came out of nowhere. 

"Miss Wilson, Mr. Stark would like me to check on you. Are you alright?" Katherine whirled to face the sound, nearly ripping out a chunk of her hair in the process. 

"Who are you?" Katherine touched her head, grimacing. She looked down at her open blouse and crossed her arms quickly, ignoring a shock of pain from her ribs. 

"I am F.R.I.D.A.Y, a natural-language user interface created by Tony Stark. How can I assist you today?" Katherine exhaled. 

"Oh, that's awfully kind of you. Will you tell them that I'm fine? Just a little shaken up is all." She paused. "If Tony doesn't mind, I'll take a shower and be on my way."

"Sure, I'll notify them. You are free to stay as long as you like." 

Katherine smiled, then gingerly uncrossed her arms from her chest. She walked over to the sliding door, locked it, and started to undress. Her apron and skirt fell to the ground in a heap, and she unbuttoned her shirt and tossed her undergarments on the pile. She stepped towards the shower and reflexively looked at herself in the floor length mirror. 

Then she noticed the bruises. She was riddled with them - red and purple fingerprints on her ass and her hips. Her knees were raw from falling on the concrete in the alley. He had left hickies on her neck, and dark splotches on her shoulder blades where he had shoved her against the wall. Katherine wanted to choke on the lump in her throat, but she blinked the welling tears away and stepped into the shower. 

She turned on the knob to where the blast of water was almost painful. She was scalding away the evidence of the night before, even if she couldn't get rid of the pain. She washed and conditioned her hair, scrubbed her body, and dried off quickly. She had just finished towel-drying her curls and putting on a microfiber robe when she heard a knock at the door. 

"Katherine? It's Bucky. We've got some breakfast out here if you're hungry." Katherine smiled. Bucky seemed genuinely sweet, and she was glad that Steve and Tony had made up their differences. The Avengers' falling out was so public that dominated the headlines for weeks, and Katherine wasn't so naïve to think that Bucky wasn't at the heart of the conflict. She opened the door and peeked her head through the crack. 

"Thank you, Bucky. I'll be out in a minute." 

"Glad to hear it, doll." 

Katherine stiffened at the pet name, but forced her shoulders to relax. Bucky had shown her nothing but kindness, and he had come from the 1940's. Chivalry and respect was second nature to him and Steve, and Katherine appreciated it immensely. She had seen it in the way they treated female paparazzi and reporters: they never talked down to anyone, especially women. Perhaps they were the best of their generation, but Katherine still felt as if she was born in the wrong era. 

Sighing, Katherine reached towards the floor to put back on her soiled clothes before she noticed a neat little pile on the tv stand opposite her bed. She walked over, and read the gold-embossed note at the top:

_Katherine-_

_Tony said we were about the same size, so feel free to borrow some of my clothes. Can't wait to meet you!_

_\- Pepper Potts_

Katherine smiled softly. Everyone in Avengers Tower seemed genuinely kind. Maybe it was to be expected - they were heroes after all - but Katherine had learned that the best heroes weren't always the best people. She slipped on the athletic tank top and leggings that Pepper had laid out, and opened her bedroom door. She stepped out into the hallway, straight into a maze of doors and passages. 

"Um, F.R.I.D.A.Y.?" Katherine asked tentatively, "how do I get to the living room?"

Friday's bright voice answered immediately. "Take a right, then go straight until you find the room with the large windows."

Katherine thanked her, and started to walk. Shortly after, she encountered the most beautiful living room she had ever seen. It was open concept, and the light streaming in from the massive windows went all the way to the kitchen. The sitting area had large couches and heaps of pillows with fur blankets draped on the edges. There was technology everywhere - the coffee table was projecting a graph of the stock market and the Stark Technologies' version of a Roomba was whizzing underneath tables and chairs. 

Bucky and Steve were lounging on the couches, tossing a baseball back and forth at speeds that definitely weren't human. When Katherine entered, Bucky's face split into a welcoming smile. He sprung up and walked quickly towards her, catching the ball in his metal arm without looking and chucking it back at Steve at what must have been hundreds of miles per hour. 

"Hey, doll! How are you holding up?" 

"I'm fine, thanks. I'm starving, though. What are y'all having?"

"That sounds like a question for the world's greatest chef!" Tony flashed her a grin. He and Pepper were behind the marbled kitchen island, cooking what smelled like bacon and eggs. The Iron Man was wearing an absolutely ridiculous pink apron that read "Kiss the Cook" on his chest. 

"Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Stark," Katherine said. 

"Nonsense. This is Pepper's place anyways," he smiled at Pepper and pulled her by the waist until they were snug side-by-side. They seemed genuinely in love, and it made Katherine smile sadly. She wished her parents could be this way. They had divorced while she was in middle school, and while each had tried to convince her to choose a side, she ended up resenting both of them because of it. They had prioritized their spite for each other over her well-being, and it had hurt her deeply. She had the feeling that Tony and Pepper would be excellent parents when the time came. 

"It's twelve percent of my place."

"God, are you ever going to get over that?"

"I'm twelve percent over it." Pepper pressed a quick kiss on Tony's lips before turning her attention to Katherine. 

"You must be starving. Here, grab a plate."

Katherine walked around the island and gave herself a heaping serving, eating quickly while Tony and Pepper poked more fun at each other. The eggs and bacon were delicious, but Katherine's mind was on other things. 

"Have you seen Loki this morning?" 

"F.R.I.D.A.Y?" asked Tony. 

"He's with Thor in the training room, Boss."

* * *

The Avenger's training room was, as expected, state of the art. It took up two floors of Avengers Tower - one for the main training area, and the other for a second-story olympic sized track and observation deck. There were weights, treadmills, and all of the components of a standard gym. Each station had a tablet which would do a full-body biometric scan before, during, and after the workout to ensure maximum efficiency while preventing muscle fatigue. The Avengers never knew when they would be called into action, and they couldn't fight with aching muscles. 

It also had an entire gymnastics section complete with a vault and beam for Natasha. Steve used the parallel bars often because they built such great core strength and body control, and Bucky would see how long he could hold a handstand with just his metal arm. 

He once held it for thirty minutes before he passed out from the blood rushing to his head. 

The main feature of the training complex, however, was the massive sparring floor in the center of the warehouse-sized room. Tony had installed holographic enemies to test speed and agility, each programmed to fit the specific Avenger. Sometimes, the floor would spew flames or open a pit to the floor below, just to keep them on their toes. 

Loki and Thor, however, had foregone the technology and were circling each other on the floor, weapons at the ready. 

Thor swung Mjölnir idly, and Loki's constantly shifted his weapon from dual knives to a spear-tipped staff to a big bouncy ball. 

"Don't toy with me, brother," Thor warned.

Loki threw the ball at him, only for it to disappear in a flash of gold. 

Thor charged at him, but Loki turned himself invisible and placed an illusion where he had just stood. Thor, the lovable oaf, leapt for it, and Loki materialized the ball and dropped it on Thor's head. What he failed to notice, however, was Mjölnir careening towards him like an errant boomerang: at the last second, Loki tucked and dove, rolling to a kneeling position.

"I thought we said no fighting with magic, Loki," Thor grumbled.

"I'm afraid gravity is quite natural to this world, brother."

"You know that's not what I meant." Thor clapped him on the shoulder playfully, but Loki winced all the same. He was irritated - he should have seen Thor's hammer coming. His senses weren't as sharp as they used to be; he hadn't felt at full strength since before his fall from the Bifrost. 

Loki still remembered that day. Holding desperately onto Thor's staff before letting go, falling into nothing for what seemed like forever. He shuddered, subconsciously rubbing his hand over the raised scars on his back. 

He was shirtless, but he would never let Thor or anyone else see the extent of what he endured - the mass of scar tissue was hidden behind a glamour that only the most powerful of magic wielders could remove. He never wanted anyone to know about the things he had seen. He felt bile rise in his throat, and choked it down quickly when Thor clasped Loki's outstretched hand and heaved himself up. 

Loki vanished his knives into his "pocket," a space outside of reality where he could store what he wished. It was useful, to say the least: it travelled with him wherever he went, and he was never one to go unprepared in an emergency. Loki prided himself on always staying twelve steps ahead - which is why he was pissed he hadn't foreseen Mjölnir.

Drying himself off with a towel, he slung it around his bare shoulders, conjured a long-sleeve shirt, and headed towards the kitchen for a water bottle. Midgardian technology, while much more primitive when compared to Asgard's military, often considered luxuries that Asgardians were too battle-hardened to enjoy - refrigerators were one such deluxe item that would be scoffed at in the palace. 

Striding into the grand living room, he tugged open the mini-fridge under the island and started to chug before he felt eyes on him. 

"Hi, Loki," said Katherine in a small voice. She was curled up on a barstool, looking remarkably small next to the super-soldiers that flanked her. "Thank you for... doing what you did yesterday."

He inclined his head. "Do not make it a habit, darling."

"Don't tease her, Loki. It's got to be a lot to process." Bucky drew closer to Katherine, put his non-metal arm around her shoulder, and squeezed her into a hug gently.

"You're safe with us, Katherine. Loki's going to be staying at the tower for a while. We're, uh, rehab buddies." He gave a forced chuckle.

Katherine, confused, looked up at Bucky's pained face before whipping her head around at the sound of Loki's footsteps. 

"You're still injured. May I?" He gestured to the bruises on her neck and shoulders.

Loki felt a familiar twang of anger in his stomach, but elected to ignore it - too much emotion when casting such a delicate spell could cause it to go haywire. Still, the fact that Katherine's beautiful, golden skin had been marred in this way made him seethe. 

She nodded, granting him her trust. Only Thor had such blind faith, and it was gratifying to see someone else accept him so quickly. 

He let his Seiðr lace through his fingers, and he passed his hand over Katherine's décolletage, pushing healing magic into the woman he was so intrigued by. She sucked in a breath, and he smirked - he knew exactly how deliciously wicked his magic felt to the unsuspecting receiver, and Katherine seemed to be enjoying its effects immensely. 

When the spell left her, she exhaled shakily. His magic had wicked through her, seeming to stroke every single one of her nerve endings and left her body tingling. She straightened her arms and twisted to look at her shoulder blades.

"Oh, they're gone! Thank you, Loki."

He just nodded and turned to walk away before she interrupted him. 

"How does that work? Were you born with it? Does it hurt? Can Thor do magic too?" She let out a stream of rapid-fire questions, and Loki laughed. 

"No, little one, it doesn't hurt. Come, I will demonstrate." He walked towards the open space near the windows, and sat down on one of the loveseats. Katherine looked to Bucky, who gently pushed at the small of her back, encouraging her to follow him. 

She didn't trust Loki completely, but she did trust Bucky, despite barely knowing him. If Captain America called him a friend, he couldn't be all bad. The dimples that showed every time he grinned didn't exactly scream "scary assassin" either. 

She followed him and plopped down opposite Loki, tucking a pillow and hugging it around her midsection. She looked at him expectantly, and Loki grabbed the TV remote and shifted it idly into a white rose, a baby rattle, an iPhone, and an emerald the size of a baseball. 

"To satisfy your curiosity, no, Thor cannot preform magic. He was always more inclined to swing a sword than cast a spell," he smirked as he continued. "I use Seiðr, the most ancient form of sorcery that manipulates ljós, the light of the Norns." His normal voice was lilting and indulgent while he explained, but he seemed to growl out the words in his ancient tongue.

Katherine thought it was ridiculously attractive. 

"In the most basic terms, ljós is woven on Yggdrasil's loom to form the fabric of the universe itself. Magic wielders such as I can tug at these threads of reality and bend what others experience or create something entirely new."

"That sounds pretty useful, Loki. Why don't we bring you on missions more often?" Steve had been so quiet before that Katherine had forgotten he was there, but now he looked at Loki with a new kind of respect. 

"It is... taxing, to say the least. The more I ask the threads to unravel, the more difficult the Seiðr becomes. Something that does not affect the natural order, like creating a trinket," he snapped his fingers, and a delicate necklace with a massive diamond dropped from his fist, "is relatively simple."

In a curl of green magic, the necklace appeared on Katherine's neck. She blushed, and a hint of a smile lifted Loki's lips. 

"Do you like it?"

"I- yes, its pretty."

"It is yours, darling."

"Oh, I couldn't! It's too expensive. I've never owned anything like this - I don't have anything to wear it with!" Katherine protested. The southern slant had returned, and she blushed despite herself. 

"It is of no cost to me, so I must insist." A gilded hand mirror appeared on the cushion next to her. "Especially when it looks so stunning." She picked up the mirror and gasped softly - it was exquisitely made, and the brilliant diamond rested gently in the hollow of her throat. 

"As for missions, Captain, the SHIELD board has some... reservations about my being out in public. I am not yet vindicated in the eyes of my father."

He looked out the window, and Katherine followed his hard gaze. Outside Stark Tower was the New York skyline silhouetted by the sun, but Loki was focused on the buildings still under construction near Grand Central. The station had almost been crushed by a Leviathan during the invasion, but the surrounding apartments bore the brunt of the attack.

Bucky was quick to interject. "Yeah, yeah, we're all fucked up."

Steve frowned at him. " _Language_ , Buck!"

Bucky shoved him in response. 

"It's on, punk." Steve raced towards the training room, with Bucky in hot pursuit. 

Katherine giggled, and Loki thought it was the most beautiful sound in the world. 

After a heavy moment, she stood to leave, before turning over her shoulder to face him.

"Loki?" His eyes met hers. 

"I'm gonna go home, but... will I see you again?"

"As often as you wish, darling."

"Do you want to get coffee sometime?" His brows furrowed, but he inclined his head.

"Meet me at the tower tomorrow after lunch. We will go together. "

She burst into the biggest smile Loki had ever seen. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor's an asshole. What else is new?

"You _idiot_. Great job, Katherine. You asked a supervillain to coffee. _Stupid, stupid_..." she mumbled under her breath as she scuffed at the stairwell leading up to her apartment. Luckily, Avengers Tower wasn't far away from her tiny studio. 

She struggled with the doorknob until she wrenched it open, hitting the doorstop with a bang and slamming it back into place. She flopped onto the couch, which creaked and groaned even under her too skinny frame. Reaching into her tote, Katherine felt around for her phone before her hand curled around her _La Tableau_ apron string. 

She grimaced.

She had shoved her uniform back into her bag as she packed up her room at the tower, hardly thinking about it at the time. She moved the bundle onto the floor, kicking it under the coffee table from IKEA that was _entirely_ out of her price range when she bought it. Her apartment was a mess anyways, and Katherine didn't have the energy or strength to deal with those particular items at this point.

Her phone buzzed, and she looked at her text messages. There were two dozen from Brandon, ranging from the "are you ok" to the "when are you coming back to work because if you don't you're fired" variety. Katherine sighed and shot him a text promising that she would be back to work on Monday. Luckily, it was still early on Saturday morning so she could take the weekend to recuperate. 

Katherine had a habit of resetting everything in the morning - no matter how trashed her apartment was, or how hungover she felt after a night with the girls, she always tidied up yesterday's messes with the sunrise. She stretched, stood up, and surveyed her living space, starting with the dishes that had been piling up in her sink for God-knows-how-long. 

She needed to get her shit together before seeing Loki again.

* * *

"Brother, I need some advice." Loki leaned on the doorframe to Thor's bedroom, arms crossed. 

Thor blinked at him before letting out a loud guffaw. 

"You mean to tell me that Loki, God of Mischief and Revelry, giver of Fire, wielder of Seiðr, Lie-smith, Prince of Asgard-"

"You know very well that I am no prince." Loki had smirked at the earlier titles, but cut him off the minute he mentioned the crown. 

Thor backtracked, realizing his mistake immediately. 

"Jesting! Only in jest, litli bróðir. What have you come to ask?" 

Loki glared at him for a second longer from the doorframe, then entered Thor's room to rest his back on the wall. Thor had moved in full-time at Avengers Tower, only returning to Asgard to assist Odin and visit their mother, Frigga. In time, Thor would need to return to assume his mantle as King, but that could be centuries in the making. Odin wasn't frail by any means, and Loki was sure he had no intentions of giving up the throne anytime soon. 

"The mortal girl, Katherine. I- I feel for her. Only the Norns know why."

"She is beautiful, no doubt."

"She is frustratingly breakable, but the way she looks at me it is as if I..." He paused and crossed his arms tighter over his chest, and spoke again. "It is as if I never fell."

Thor stiffened. "You let go, Loki. Father and I both tried to save you. Do not confuse that day with the lies you tell yourself, because I won't have it." Thor had gotten up from where he was sitting and now loomed over Loki's slouched form.

A flash of pain flickered on Loki's face before he steeled his eyes and looked at Thor impassively. 

"I did not come today to rehash my shortcomings. Katherine has invited me to coffee, and I wanted to know if there is any knowledge you could impart." Thor's demeanor changed instantly, and he bounced onto the bed behind him, pulling Loki with him. 

"I'm glad, litli bróðir! Perhaps this courting could be good for you." He elbowed Loki in the side. 

"Stop that."

Thor shoved him on the shoulder, so Loki pulled his knife from his pocket dimension and made to stab Thor in the thigh. 

"I will not hesitate, Thor. Get on with it."

"Desperate?" Thor raised an eyebrow, and Loki vanished his knife and placed his hands in his lap.

"Just cautious. I do not want to disappoint her." 

* * *

As he exited Thor's room, Loki waved his hand and clothed himself in an olive turtleneck and blazer with the collar of a forest green, leather trench coat tucked up against the wind. He had seen mortal men bustling to and from their workplaces from the balcony of his room, and he wanted to fit in with the Midgardian fashions. He was seen as a trendsetter on Asgard - when he began to favor green in his adolescence, it wasn't long before the the court was awash with ladies wearing green to catch his eye.

Then, Thor expressed his preference for red and every ball looked like the Yule feast for months.

He smirked at the memory and checked his reflection in a glass-paneled window as he strolled towards the elevators.

"Where are you going, handsome?" Pepper had just exited an elevator as he entered the penthouse lobby. Loki smiled at her - she often complimented his looks to get under the Iron Man's skin. 

"I will be joining Lady Katherine for coffee."

"Dressed like that?"

Loki looked behind him, panicking for a moment when he thought he had forgotten to create the backside of his suit, but everything looked intact. He looked at her quizzically. 

"Are you on crack?"

Loki looked utterly confused. “On what?”

“Crack, you know. Drugs.”

“No, I assure you that I am not.”

Pepper giggled. 

"It's three o'clock in the afternoon, Loki. You don't have to dress like you're going to a gala." Loki let Seiðr flicker around him, and created a blue button-down that he left untucked over dark jeans.

Pepper positively beamed at him.

"Better. And don't go smashing any cups!"

"Thor informed me of that faux pas, thank you darling." Pepper started to wave goodbye, and gasped as she remembered.

"Oh! Tony meant to tell you yesterday: you're invited to the Stark staff party tonight. Think you can make it?"

Loki wavered, but he couldn't say no to someone who had shown him such kindness.

"Count on it, love." He said as he stepped into the elevator. He could probably cling to Bucky and everything would be fine. 

Loki thumbed the pommel of his knife in his pocket as he felt the familiar drop in atmospheric pressure when the elevator descended. He was oddly nervous, though he knew that such feelings were ludicrous. He was a God of Asgard, and yet he was nervous to meet a mortal waitress. 

The doors opened with a pleasant ding, and Loki scanned quickly to check if Katherine had beat him to the entrance. He spotted her sorting through her handbag and sitting on the side of the modern waterfall fountain at the tower's base. 

She looked up and her face split into a brilliant smile. 

"You came! I didn't think you would - I mean, you're not late, I'm just early, I'm always early, but I didn't..."

He offered her his hand to pull her up gently. He laughed; just a low rumble really, but the corner of his mouth turned up ever so slightly. 

"Nonsense. I have been looking forward to this all morning. Lead the way, darling."

He held out his arm, and after a moment's hesitation she looped hers through his gingerly. He had rolled his shirt sleeves up to the elbow, and his bare skin grazed the soft cotton of Katherine's white sweater. The necklace he had given her winked in the sun as he let Katherine pull him down the street. 

His hair was short, cut just enough to leave gentle waves crowning his head. Katherine guessed that this was his preferred form for walking about New York City - dangerously handsome, but not a threat. Still, he 

Although he allowed her to lead, he was no less intimidating a presence as they walked down the New York streets. He would observe the incoming slew of pedestrians passing by them, sharpening his gaze at those who came too close. Even though she was wearing short heels, he stood a full head taller than her. 

Katherine felt safe at his side. 

"Your city is beautiful, Katherine." Loki's eyes were on the skyline as he took in the distant Billionaire's Row in all its grandeur. 

She snorted. 

"Don't be silly, Loki. From what Thor described of Asgard, New York probably looks like a pigsty in comparison."

"The architecture is much more ornate, certainly. But, I am of the opinion that everything in Asgard looks too contrived to have any real character. Here, everything is just... alive. It is vibrant and real and-"

He looked into her eyes. "Beautiful."

She blushed. 

"You're a sweet talker, aren't you?"

He laughed again, and Katherine felt his chest shake lightly against her elbow. He held her close to him; not possessively so, but she was securely tucked into his lean frame. His legs were so long that he must have been shortening his steps help her keep up.

"Well, they do call me silvertounge in Asgard," Loki winked.

He took pride in the title, despite its intentions being less than kind at its inception. The ladies of the court who so loved him for his style and charm whispered behind his back about his being the less _noble_ Odinson because he fought with words and magic, not swords. It wasn't long before Thor and Odin came around to the same opinion - only Frigga stood up for him when the ridicule became almost too severe to continue his royal duties. 

Katherine guided him down the last block, pulling him out of his thoughts into a cute, weathered coffee shop with a slightly crooked sign reading Java Girl.

Katherine inhaled the scent of coffee mixed with cinnamon and sandalwood as she led Loki through the door and smiled. Java Girl was one of her favorite places to study and relax, especially during her high school years. The small coffee shop was a haven when her parents' fights and the stresses of applying to college became too much for Katherine to handle. She had thought about applying for a job there instead of _La Tableau_ , but the walk was too far from her apartment already.

And if she had, she would have never met Loki. 

Everything in New York seemed to amaze him: the skyline, the sidewalk, and lives of the passerby. She had noticed he would study them as they passed, even glancing behind him a few times to catch a glimpse of someone he might have found particularly interesting. 

He was the consummate gentleman too, elbowing her outstretched arm holding her debit card out of the way when she went to order and pay for their lattes. Then he tripped over himself apologizing that he hadn't meant to hurt her as they sat down at a corner booth.

"Loki, really! I'm fine."

"Thor said that I should pay, and I was only trying to abide by Midgardian tradition-"

She cut him off by laying a hand gently on his wrist. 

"You didn't hurt me. I'm okay." His shoulders slowly relaxed from their tensed position. He paused to glance down at her hand holding his before looking up at her. 

"Tell me about yourself, love. Your family, your friends." Katherine could've sworn his voice dropped an entire octave at his next words.

"Your deepest fears."

She felt her cheeks grow warm, and she fiddled with the diamond around her neck. She didn't want to air out her family's dirty laundry quite yet. Loki probably couldn't comprehend what divorce meant, much less be sympathetic to her predicament. 

"Spiders give me the heebie-jeebies, but nothing's worse than student loans. I'd like to get a degree, but I can't enroll in college before at least getting a head start on the debt. Besides, most of my friends from high school have graduated already."

With help from their parent's big fat trust fund, no doubt. 

"I can't say I am too fond of spiders either, dove. But I don't understand what's so frightful about these... _loans._ "

Loki's understanding of Earth was even worse than she thought. She tried her best to explain the concept of higher education, and why it was beneficial to gain prestigious employment and high salaries. 

"But what if a mortal family is impoverished? How can they ever break out of penury?"

"Most don't. Sure, there are need-based scholarships, and the really exceptional students, athletes, and artists can get lucky. But people in the middle like me? We're kind of stuck." Loki's hand tightened around his mug. 

"This is unacceptable, Katherine. Such injustice would never be allowed on Asgard." Every time he mentioned his home, he flinched just a little, almost as if he was remembering insults from years ago. It would be imperceptible to a callous onlooker, but Katherine had been watching him ever since they sat down.

"Do you miss it?" She asked softly.

"Dearly." He looked down.

"Why don't you go back?"

He tensed as the memories came flooding back to him. The weightlessness, the searing pain, a cacophony of noises, a molten prod hissing as it steamed against his broken skin over, and over, and over. 

The madness overtaking him just to make the pain stop.

"Loki?" Katherine's voice snapped him out of his spiral. "I'm sorry. We barely know each other, and here I am nagging you on." 

"No, do not apologize. I was just distracted by the commotion out on the street."

He only meant to distract her, but he did smell the plume of exhaust fumes that spewed out of a bright yellow school bus. Droves of teenagers poured out of the doors, all engrossed in their phones or chattering excitedly. Katherine groaned.

"Ah, shit. This is my high school's route, and school just got out - Java's about to be swamped with teenagers. Are you done? We should probably head back." 

"But the day has only just begun, darling."

"Huh?" She looked at him, puzzled while he smirked when an idea struck him.

"Do you trust me?" She nodded slowly, still confused as he chuckled.

Reformed or not, he was still the God of Mischief.

He turned up his palm on the table, and Katherine laid hers on top lightly. He squeezed it in return, and the world turned upside down. In a bright flash of magic, Loki transported her to the place Pepper had raved about when he had asked what seamstress she used weeks ago. 

The decor around them was a luxurious blend of cream and gold, with elegant mirrors interspersed between the aisles of vibrant gowns. Katherine, however, looked green and held her midsection. "Give a girl some warning next time!" 

Loki concentrated, placing a reassuring hand on her back until Katherine felt a pleasant coolness that eased her revolting stomach. She looked around after the nausea had subsided.

"Oh. My. God. Did you take me to Saks?" Her voice raised to a squeal at the end of her sentence, but Loki focused on a different phrase. 

She had no idea the lengths he would go to be her God. 

"It was highly recommended by a friend of mine. You, darling, will need a dress for the party tonight."

"Party?"

"One of Stark's soirees. Most are dreadfully uneventful, but I hope I am not too forward in asking you to join me."

"I'd love to!"

Sickness forgotten, she practically bounced from one section of the floor to another, draping garments to try on on Loki's arm. When the dresses came almost to his chin, she took the mound with an "oof!" and dropped it unceremoniously on the dressing room chair. 

She shooed him towards the couches and locked the door, shimmying out of her sweater and jeans. She tried on exquisite dress after dress after dress. They were all beautiful, but Katherine couldn't settle on one. One revealed too much skin, others too little, and one was so dreadfully itchy that she was sure it was made out of poison ivy. As she tried the last one in the pile, she turned around to find it clinging to curves she didn't even know were there. She poked the backside tentatively on the last dress, her finger leaving an indentation in the thick layer of memory foam. 

She bust out into giggles.

Behind the mirrored door, Loki had refused to sit still. He ventured all around the department store, casually exploring through the rows and rows of displays and brightly colored advertisements. He was just picking up a red-bottomed stiletto in concern and was debating it's purpose before deciding that it must be a weapon. A point so sharp certainly couldn't be used for anything else. He was just flicking his fingers to turn the red to a dark green before his keen hearing picked up Katherine's peals of laughter.

He disappeared and materialized at the dressing room door, the shoe righting itself on the display. 

"Katherine? What is so funny, love?

Still laughing, she opened the door and stepped onto a well-lit platform surrounded by mirrors, where she poked the backside again. 

"It's got - it's got butt pads!" she gasped out.

Loki could not, for his immortal life, understand her meaning. He looked at the offending garment and saw the small, fingertip-sized indentions on her backside, making the body he so desired seem ridiculously out-of-proportion. 

Loki straightened, magic weaving through his fingers.

"I will erase them from existence" He promised, the spell taking shape in his palm.

"No!" Katherine said quickly. "I'm not buying it anyways" She looked at the price tag and yelped. 

"Yeah, definitely not. Rich people..." she gave a short laugh.

Loki almost let the Seiðr fade before he thought of a rather delicious bit of mischief. 

"Allow me to help?"

"Uhhh, sure."

With a whip of magic, Loki instantaneously stripped the padded contraption from her slim frame and wove a shimmering gown of green from the floor up, leaving her back bare with fabric draping over her bust. In a final burst, it rose to a slim halter neckline with an overlay of tiny, jeweled embellishments on her chest. 

It all happened so quickly that Katherine only felt a brush of magic on her body as her laughter turned into a gasp.

"Well, doesn't that just take the cake!" She ran her hands over the luxurious material, mesmerized by the gemstones shining in the soft light of the department store. Each shined with iridescence, and the embellishments looked as if they would have taken hours by hand. It made her feel like a princess, spoiled and cherished.

Happy tears started to well in her throat, but she swallowed it down. 

"I think this is the nicest..." she smiled sadly. "The nicest thing anyone has ever done for me."

She looked at him, watery eyes full of gratitude. 

If he made her feel like a princess, then Loki felt like a king. 

"If that is true, love, then Midgardian men are bilgesnipes for ignoring you so."

"I don't know what the hell that means, but thank you, Loki." She pulled him into a gentle hug, eye-to-eye now because she was still elevated above him. He tightened his arms around her waist, breathing in everything - the subtle scent of her floral perfume, her breath on his neck, and the way the slope of her nose felt pressed against his sharp jawline. He spun her around, gently setting her down as the last of his magic wicked away. 

"I do believe we're ready for the gala, darling."

What Katherine had failed to notice was that Loki had changed into his formalwear from before Pepper's intervention and now extended his elbow to her. 

She took it without a second thought. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> litli bróðir = little brother in Icelandic  
> I love Frigga, so I'm pretending that nasty bit in The Dark World didn't happen. Sue me.  
> Here's Loki's "before" outfit that he'll eventually wear to the party: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f6/72/dd/f672dd19e185165ba520600bd97e5be0.jpg
> 
> And here's his casual wear:  
> https://i.pinimg.com/564x/a8/f9/12/a8f9123b9764df015c579773b15510cb.jpg
> 
> Just because I love you all, and love Tom Hiddleston even more.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little bit of angst in this one, sorry!

Loki swept Katherine through a portal that deposited them on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, overlooking beautiful Central Park just as the sun began to set. The steps were full of chattering Stark employees and the odd foreign dignitary or two - with such a large network of clients, the billionaire never let a good party go to waste. 

Katherine thought she saw a particularly handsome Prince of Greece walk by in faux fur Gucci loafers.

This was a far cry from her most recent formal party, if you could call it that. Her high school prom was in the musty gym of her public school where the main attraction was a punch bowl that the P.E. teacher had spiked. She ended up running home after Thomas Cooper tried to neck her in the backseat of his Camero. He had bad teeth and even worse breath, and Katherine shuddered at the thought of him.

At least her date tonight was much more agreeable: Loki looked impeccable in his formalwear, but it appeared that he had reserved an alter-ego for public appearances. He had cast an illusion to appear as the same dapper gentleman from _La Tableau_ , with the russet curls and the imposing, but not looming height. While the man Katherine had met for coffee was easily recognizable as the God of Mischief, he had based his illusion on a rather handsome security guard standing outside.

Even disguised, Loki seemed uncomfortable. His demeanor was noticeable different from the charming, relaxed man that took her out for the best afternoon of her life. He was shifting his eyes around constantly, and he had stopped shortening his strides while walking with her. She almost had to jog to keep up with him. 

"Is something wrong, Loki?"

He looked at her sharply, but his eyes softened when they met hers. 

"Not too loud, dove. We wouldn't want to frighten any of the guests by wearing my name out."

His chuckle was forced, though it caused Katherine's stomach to flutter all the same. Then, she understood his meaning and crinkled her nose just a bit.

"That's bullshit."

"Pardon?" He raised his eyebrows, which were decent enough on any normal human but didn't hold a candle to the perfect arches that he normally had.

 _Goddammit_ , why did she think about that? 

"People shouldn't be scared of you. I'm not." Not anymore, anyway.

She remembered those first paralyzing moments, those seconds of utter fear when she recognized who he was. Then, he had saved her. Shown her nothing but kindness and respect. She felt like she could trust him. He would protect her. She looked up into his eyes as her own sparkled with emotion, but all she saw was a blank facade of a man she didn't really know.

"You flatter me, Katherine, but this trust is unfounded. Midgardians have always been too naïve for their own good." And with that, he turned on his heel and left her at the Met entrance. 

Katherine felt as if she had been punched in the stomach. Everything had been going so well. 

***

Loki turned, cursing in so many languages that he had to stop in case he summoned Fenrir, the Wolf of Ragnarok. That may be the only thing that could make his day worse. 

He had royally screwed up, in the same way he screwed up all his relationships. Now he wasn't even royalty. He thrust his hand through his hair as he continued to walk, not really knowing his destination but knowing that he had to get _away._

She was toxic for him. At every turn, she lulled him into a false sense of complacency, of friendship. Why wasn't this easier? He was a master of manipulation in every sense of the word: one had to master emotional in order to change the physical. He learned to keep every emotion under lock and key, every thought carefully filtered and vetted. 

It was a defense mechanism, in a way: he guarded his heart after leaving it vulnerable had hurt so many. When he found that the mischief could be molded into pure, unadulterated evil if a flame was hot enough.

He wasn't good enough for her. He didn't deserve her trust. He needed her to be scared of him.

It was easy to admit to himself that this was all meant to be a ruse. He could be dropped on any foreign planet and have the queen in his palm within a day - such was his way with women. They never could withstand his charms - or his accent. 

He had planned to capture her, utterly enthrall her in the saccharine seduction that Midgardian women found so enticing and convince Odin that he could care for someone other than himself. It would fulfill an ancient ritual on Asgard: the Rites of Return. Those that had proven themselves worthy to another were worthy in the eyes of Heimdall, who stood watch over Asgard's citizens and could allow one into the Golden City.

It should have been easy. Rescue her, charm her, leave her. 

But she had pulled him in with her easy giggles and beautiful smile. With the way her breath hitched when she was surprised, and just how readily she was to break from the expectations that society had placed upon her. As they sat for coffee (which he had to admit, was one of the best things about this insipid planet thus far), he had grown to respect her. She had a stronger spirit than he realized. 

Which is why he didn't want to break her. He was a monster, an agent of chaos. A destabilizing force in a world she had built for herself. But he wasn't strong enough to stay away from her.

He looked through the throng of wealthy socialites and shit-faced interns, searching for the bounce of her soft curls in the crowd. 

He found her easily, not by his eyes but by her voice. She was taking advantage of Tony's open bar surrounding the dance floor, raising her voice just slightly over the din to order one of the specialties of the night.

Loki thought that she had the most melodious, enticing voice that he had ever heard - besides his own, of course. She reminded him of Amora the sorceress, always entrancing men and consigning them to her service with a just a few soft-spoken words. 

Come to think of it, she may very well be an enchantress. She certainly had bewitched him without any trouble.

He strode towards her with new fire in his eyes, gently parting the crowd with just a brush of magic. She was dangerous for him, but he refused to lose her. 

* * *

It had always been in Katherine's nature to worry. She worried about school, worried about loans, worried about her parents, worried about her friends who were throwing up in the Denny's bathroom while she held their hair. 

She was worried about Loki. 

He was so charming, and he seemed so sure of himself - but the minute he got in public, he choked. She didn't know why he was keeping up that silly disguise either. He clearly didn't have any intentions of attacking New York. 

As she was looking around for Loki, she stopped in her tracks to notice the beautiful scenery of the party. Exquisite statues of Greek figures spanned the hall, overlooking a deep, marbled fountain. There was a massive open space for a dance floor, and Tony's entertainment team had commandeered the coffee shop into a luxe bar area. 

All around her, uniformed servers offered hors d'oeuvres and bused dishes and glasses so quickly that the guests hardly noticed them. Katherine tried to make small talk with the man offering her a plate of bruschetta crostini, but he only gave her a curt nod and was gone as fast as he came. 

That stung, just a little. Did he think of her as just another old member of the bourgeoisie? 

She heard a deep, rough voice call for her as she started towards the bar. 

"Hey, doll! Glad to see ya here." 

Bucky pulled her into a hug, and she met Steve's warm smile over his shoulder. The pair seemed to be inseparable - though Katherine supposed that she wouldn't leave her best friend's side either if she thought she had died. And been tortured and cryogenically frozen by the Soviets. And become a hitman for Hydra. And break the mind control with the help of a genetically modified Sokovian teen.

Maybe not so relatable after all. She didn't have a best friend anyways. 

"You seen Loki around? He was acting weird this afternoon. He missed knife training with Nat - and he never misses knife training." Bucky chuckled. 

"Well, he did take me to coffee."

"What?" Steve's eyebrows were raised so high that his forehead was pinched.

"And Saks!"

It was Bucky's turn to look surprised. 

"Is that where he bought ya this getup?"

Katherine glanced down at the gown, then back at Bucky, blushing. 

"No, he made this just for me. Magic." She explained, not very helpfully. For all the trouble that Loki had gone to explaining how his Seiðr worked, she still had no idea how he could create something so beautiful. 

"Well, it's gorgeous on you. He sure has taken a shine to you, Katherine."

Bucky leaned in, talking low so that only she could hear him. 

"I know he hasn't got the best track record on this planet but- but he's trying. We all deserve a second chance."

Katherine gave him a soft smile.

"Everyone does."

Then, she felt that familiar lick of magic and looked up to see Loki gliding towards her, eyes full of resolve. Bucky and Steve glanced at him in sync and moved to a different part of the bar, a small smile on the Winter Soldier's face.

"I'm sorry, Katherine. I- I got a bit caught up in my thoughts and needed to take a walk. May we continue our evening?"

Katherine started to tell him that she would like nothing more when the glass ceiling shattered. 

Bits of shrapnel rained down from the ceiling as Loki thrust his hands up, magic pulsing around him. A force field of emerald Seiðr pushed back at the shards, shielding the crowd from the brunt of the attack and shedding his mortal illusion.

Bucky and Steve leapt into action, Captain America raising his arm to his mouth to speak into the comm that Tony had wired into his cufflinks. 

_"Big breach, possible civilian casualties. Get everyone out and to the street. Thor- can you get a birds-eye?"_

There was a flash of lightning, and Mjolnir pulled Thor through the gaping hole in the roof.

Katherine had been knocked to the floor as the building shook, but tried to get her bearings as quickly as she could. Tony had put on his Iron Man suit and was restabilizing the main support beam, while scanning for structural damages that would've caused a greater collapse. 

"Find them, Thor. Nobody fucks with my staff and gets away with it." Underneath him, Loki held the glass from crashing onto the marble below. Sweat started to bead on his temple as he dragged magic from his reserves. Diverting a reality that affected so many lives at once was taking a massive toll on him.

Thankfully a second, sharper magic joined his, and he exhaled in relief as some of the strain was lifted. The Scarlet Witch ran into the ballroom, arms wreathed in red magic raised to hold up the weight of the glass shards while she ushered scared partygoers out of the way. Those that were too injured or paralyzed to move were carried, bridal-style, by Steve to safety. 

The sight of a middle-aged, overweight Wall-Street trader being cradled in Captain America's arms would have made Loki laugh in less serious circumstances. 

The massive amount of glass dropped a few feet with his lack of focus, and Wanda shot him a warning look. Even together, they couldn't hold it indefinitely. In a moment of silent understanding, the Scarlet Witch took on the brunt of the weight as Loki snapped open a pocket dimension and pulled, forcing the shards deep into the ether. 

The screams died down, and the room quieted. Thor's exit had caused rain to pour in, soaking everyone and the statues around them. He searched for Katherine and found her taking shelter under a table. He offered her a hand and helped her to her feet and drying her clothes with a thought. 

Thor flew down through the open roof, cutting off the storm when his feet touched the floor. He headed straight for Loki, who had sent a discreet thread of Seiðr to check Katherine for injuries.

"This appears to be premeditated. There is the remains of an incendiary device, but the attackers left no trace as to it's origin. It's a dead end."

"Fuck." Tony's Iron Man helmet snapped open. "Well, I'll get Hill on it. If anyone can find them, it's her."

F.R.I.D.A.Y sounded in through the suit's speakers. "I'll get on those insurance payments, boss."

"Tell the staff to take the week off too. Shit. Nobody's too banged up, right? Everyone make it out ok?"

"We're fine, thanks to Loki." Wanda smiled at him warmly. 

"Nonsense, darling. Right place, right time." Loki, once he was sure that Katherine was uninjured, had led her over to a chair to lean on. So much trauma in just a few days couldn't have been good for her. 

"She's right, Loki. You saved our asses back there. That glass could've hit a whole lotta civilians." Bucky thumped him on the back with his metal arm, though to his credit Loki didn't wince. 

"Glad I could be of use. You really should thank your lady, she convinced me to come," he spoke to Tony.

The Iron Man snorted out a laugh. "Pep? Sometimes I think she likes you more than me." A thought dawned on him in a shot of raw fear.

"She went to the bathroom a few minutes ago. Is she-"

Clint reassured him. "I can see her out the window, just by the fountain. She's madder than a wet hen, but she'll be ok."

Tony visibly exhaled in relief. "Alright team, let's re-convene at the tower tomorrow morning, yeah? Katherine, you're welcome to come along."

Although she was still shaken, she smiled and promised that she would be there. She was taking the afternoon and evening shifts at _La Tableau_ to pick up some extra cash, but she wasn't needed until noon. 

"I can take the fair lady home." Thor boomed, starting to walk towards Katherine. 

"No!" Loki stepped in front of her, then froze when he felt the team's eyes on him.

"Apologies, brother. I can provide her with much faster transport." He held out his hand and looked at Katherine expectantly. She took it gently, and they disappeared in a flash. 

* * *

When they landed on her doorstep, Katherine collapsed into him, tucking her arms tightly around his body and dropping her head on his chest. He was still breathing heavily, and his heart was racing under his cool skin. He stroked her hair, just holding her as closely as he could. 

"I just can't seem to stay out of trouble, can I?" Tears were starting to well in her eyes, the shock of the day just breaking over her.

Loki wished that he could wipe the fear from her brow with magic, but he knew it wasn't that easy. 

“No harm will come to you as long as I draw breath.” He promised quietly. “Not man, not beast, not a single threat in any realm. None of them will touch you. I would wage a thousand wars single-handedly before I allow anything to harm you, Katherine.”

They had only just met, and he had almost lost her. That thought scared the Helheim out of him. 

She squeezed him into a hug. "Thank you, Loki. For... for everything. Want to come in? It's awfully cold in the lobby."

He almost laughed before realizing that she was serious. 

"I would love to, darling."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the place in the Met that i was describing! https://www.jmu.edu/_images/artandarthistory/news/American%20Wing.jpg


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katherine comes to terms with Loki's true nature while Loki encounters an ugly truth: a New York apartment. Also, kittens!

The lobby of Katherine's apartment complex (if you could call it that) consisted of an almost deceased fiddle-leaf fig tree, a sketchy smelling loveseat, and a singular doormat that read: _Pay Up or Fuck Off_ _._

Subtle.

Her landlord wasn't so bad, really. He was always fair with the prices, and he didn't bother her too much. Her best friend Mia thought that he might have been a part of the Italian gang that used to stake a claim on her neighborhood, but Katherine thought that he was more likely to be a communist than a drug lord. 

He liked that shoddy houseplant too much to be a kingpin. Plus, his name was Johnathan. Not exactly fear-inducing.

Katherine insisted on opening the door for herself when they entered, though Loki didn't put up nearly as much as a fight as he did over paying for her coffee. She had just crossed the threshold to the door when she gasped and her hands flew up to her throat.

"The necklace! I must've come undone when I fell on the ground, or maybe I left it at Saks-"

Loki chuckled and placed a hand on her back to calm her.

"My love. I created this from the fabric of the universe, and you think I cannot retrieve it?"

He lacked the resolve to tell her that the original necklace was probably crushed under a ton of rubble at the Met, but it was simple enough to create a new one. And, he would not have her protesting about ridiculous things such as cost again.

Humans. They were absolute idiots, but he could see why Thor was so fond of them. Though he may not vouch for the entire race, he could handle a few.

This one, in particular. 

He formed an identical necklace to the first one, adding a twist of protection magic to the links of the delicate chain as she looked at his magic-laced hands in wonder. The spell would allow him to know where she was should she cry out for him. She had a poor habit of getting in danger, and Loki had vowed to protect her in all circumstances, from all threats.

He would not fail.

Once he had clasped it firmly around her neck, she practically skipped ahead of him to fling the door open to the angular stairwell that smelled ever so slightly of mold. She glanced over her shoulder.

"My apartment doesn't have a fancy elevator like Tony's, so it's the stairs for us. Keep up, if you can."

"You think I am adverse to exercise?"

She smothered a laugh. No he certainly wasn't, given his lean body and fighting ability. Still - why would you take stairs if you could teleport everywhere?

Hearing no answer, Loki scooped her up, bounding up two steps at a time at a speed that would make Olympic sprinters jealous, Katherine's head thrown back in squealing laughter all the while. She finally gasped for breath when he had almost reached the roof.

"Loki! You missed it! I'm on the sixth floor."

"How upsetting." He said dryly, indicating that he wasn't the slightest bit winded by climbing a dozen extra flights. What is the number, darling?" 

She could feel the timbre of his voice vibrate against her chest, namely because she was squashed against his sternum. 

"16b."

"Lovely."

He carried her much more slowly now, ensuring that he wouldn't jolt her as he moved through the grungy beige hallways. His ears picked up the sound of vermin running on the hot water pipes just above his head, and he set his jaw with an audible click.

She deserved to live in the palaces of Asgard, not this abhorrent dump.

He set her down gently, wiping the anger from his face before he did so. Katherine opened the door into her small studio, thankful that she has decided to clean that morning. It was something her mom had drilled into her for better or for worse, but she was thanking her lucky stars now.

Though, Loki would probably just clean it with a wink. He was useful that way. 

He followed her into her charming living area with comfortable opposing couches, a small glass coffee table, and an elegant orchid that Mia had given her for her birthday.

"Katherine?"

"Yes?"

"I have a gift for you."

"Damn, Loki. I'm not your sugar baby." She was joking, but he turned gravely serious and took both of her hands to look into her eyes.

"Darling, I would never insult your honor in such a way. I will stop if it makes you uncomfortable-"

She laughed, and it rang throughout the living-room-kitchenette combo. "Don't worry about it."

"Besides,” he smirked, “it's more of the _living_ variety."

He untucked his hands from his back and revealed a cardboard box, tied with a beautiful satin ribbon. Katherine gasped softly.

"Open it." He had a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. 

She reached for the bow and pulled, unraveling the ribbon quickly to fling open the box, then her face split open in delight.

"A kitten!"

A little cat was lounging in the plush box purring like a sports car, and looked up at Katherine in adoration. 

Cats were Frigga's sacred animal, so if she could not meet his beloved mother Loki could give her just a piece of her instead. 

Katherine reminded him of Frigga, in a way. Though she was no warrior of Asgard, she fought against her adversities with a quiet sort of determination, an inner fire that drew him to her.

While Loki was lost in thought, Katherine had picked up the kitten and held her to her chest, stroking her soft calico fur. 

"Does she have a name?"

Loki had pulled her across the universe from Frigga's barn, so he hoped that his mother hadn't visited in the past hour. Frigga's cats were magically equipped to change their shape hunt their prey: in Katherine's case, the rats infesting her apartment. 

Though, she may have a baby jaguar on her hands should a thief invade her home.

"It's up to you, love." He paused. "What about Gyðja?" It meant goddess, a fitting name for a kitten charged to protect his woman.

Katherine snorted.

"I couldn't pronounce that to save my life. What about Freckles?"

It was Loki's turn to laugh until he realized that she was serious. 

"Freckles it is." He flicked his finger, and a braided leather collar appeared on the kitten's neck. With another wave of his hand, a carpeted cat tower complete with dangling feathers and a plush pillow bed appeared in the corner of her living room. 

Katherine got up and placed Freckles on her bed, giving her a few adoring scratches behind her ears. 

“You’re really sure you’re not cold, Loki? I’m freezing in here. My landlord damn near dies if anyone goes within six feet of the thermostat,” she spoke over her shoulder. New York in April wasn’t kind to anyone, but her apartment building was kept unconscionably cold to compensate.

“That’s not in my nature.”

“Huh?” She had almost gotten to the kitchen to offer him some tea when she turned abruptly to look at him.

“I don’t get cold.”

“No! I mean, you said that already. Why not? Is it a thing with your magic?”

"It is not."

He said it so shortly that Katherine immediately regretted asking. 

"Oh - I'm sorry, I didn't want to..." Loki wanted to kick himself when he heard her trip over herself in apology. 

"Not at all, love." He chose his words carefully, not wanting to reveal more than she needed to know. "My race is- it is more durable than most. We must endure harsh winters with minimal amounts of fat reserves to sustain us. Spring on Midgard is more akin to the lush summer months of my home."

"Your race? You mean Asgardians."

He sighed internally. She was persistent, his little one.

"Not exactly."

"Oh! Thor mentioned you were adopted." He chuckled. 

"You're not understanding me, darling. I am- the form you see is a glamour, maintained by my Seiðr. It makes those around me more comfortable."

Katherine had to admit - he was nice to look at. Was he really that ugly underneath to where he would put the effort into concealing it everyday? 

"I want to see."

"I don't want to frighten you."

"Bullshit."

"This seems to be a customary response to anything I say to you."

"Just when you're acting stupid, Loki. Show me."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Please?" She drew closer to him, looking him with eyes so hopeful that he didn't stand a chance.

She was going to be the death of him. 

"You're as mischievous as your kitten."

Freckles yawned for effect, and went back to pouncing on the feather.

"All right, little imp. Stand back." She did quickly, and a flash of magic overwhelmed her eyes, forcing them shut.

Loki let the light fade slowly, creating a haze at the same time so she didn't have to take him in all at once. The ridges rose over his body like goosebumps, and his skin turned blue as the glamour he'd so masterfully woven burned away. 

He had garbed himself in traditional Jotunn formalwear: bare on the chest with a ceremonial belt of beaten gold that cinched a loincloth to his waist, more similar to the kilts of Midgard's Ireland.

Normally, he would wear nothing at all. Jotunns were not known for their modesty. 

There was a sharp intake of breath when the mist cleared, and his nerves skyrocketed.

Katherine's eyes were as wide as moons. He was startlingly blue, his eyes ruby red and so piercing with emotion that she couldn't help but be drawn towards them. His face was calm, serene even - like a sentinel in the night, charged to guard over a mountain pass. His jaw still sloped sharply, but it was defined to the point just past humanity.

Katherine, breathing quickly, stepped forward to touch the ridges on his chest. His abdominal muscles rippled on his stomach, but she was more concerned with the raised scar tissue just above his pectoral muscles. He was littered with marks: flesh that had turned purple and scabbed over, and designs that looked as if they had been branded directly into his skin.

She spoke so quietly he wouldn't have heard her if he were human.

"Who did this?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, y'all! I'm still new to this, so feedback is appreciated. Do you like the summaries at the beginning of the chapter, or just any warnings or reminders?


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki reveals his past, and gives Katherine (and all of New York) an unusual gift. 
> 
> Warnings: Mentions of torture, but no details. I wrote this late at night so there may be some mistakes.

Loki stared at Katherine in sickening silence for what felt like minutes. He looked down at the ground and spoke in a low voice. 

"It's a rather long story. Sit." He gestured to the sofa, careful not to get his cold hands close to her. Katherine's face was pale, but her eyes were no longer wide with fear and her steps were steady as she carried herself over to the couch. Loki sat down opposite her and held up his hand, as if inspecting his cerulean skin. 

"I'm not Asgardian, Katherine. Nor am I Thor's real brother. I am a Jotunn, an inhabitant of the most desolate planet in the Nine Realms. Jotunheim is covered in ice and snow, and my people - the frost giants - were forced to adapt to the endless cold long ago."

He swallowed hard, but then continued.

"I am the son of King Laufey, a frost giant whose kingdom incited Asgard's anger after his order to exile our sick to the other realms following a particularly nasty plague. When Odin learned of the breach of his inter-realm treatise he invaded, finding me in a snowbank and adopted me as his own during the chaos."

"He stole you from your home?" Katherine asked. 

"Not necessarily. I was a runt, a disgrace to the royal family of Jotunheim. My own father threw me out to the sled hounds for crying. I was barely weaned a day off of my mother, but Laufey didn't care."

"That's awful, Loki." Katherine said.

He grimaced. 

"That's the pleasant part. I used my Jotunn ability to change my shape and conceal my true form to blend in with Asgard and its people. I wanted nothing more than to be accepted by my new family, so I modeled myself after them."

Loki was speaking faster now, growing more comfortable in his story. It wasn't often that he shared something so personal, but something about Katherine's soft eyes made him want to lay his soul bare.

"Thor and I were in constant competition for the love and attention of Asgard, though I rarely won in that arena. Only Frigga seemed to favor me." The corner of his mouth turned up just a bit at the mention of his mother, and Katherine smiled. It was nice that Loki had at least one person that he could turn to in his youth.

"All the resentment, the inability to live outside of Thor's shadow and gain the adoration of the people I so admired, it broke me. My heart turned cold, and I made a series of mistakes that damaged those around me. I was crazed, unhinged. I manipulated, lied, and sought to kill Thor to finally be able to claim the throne after Odin was gone."

He looked away as if in shame. "Thor bested me in combat, and instead of accepting his mercy, I chose to throw myself into the cosmos."

Katherine, now intrigued, crossed her legs and pulled a pillow to her midsection. "How the hell did you do that? Just jumped into the universe?"

"I let go of the Bifrost into Ginnungagap and fell endlessly into the primordial void."

"What is-you know what, never mind." Katherine waved a hand to motion for him to continue, but Loki was hardly paying attention to her at this point - too lost in painful memories.

"I meant to end my life. I was broken, overwhelmed by darkness and hatred and disgusted by my brother's mercy. Unfortunately, I wasn't so lucky."

And in that moment, Katherine's heart broke for him. She started to speak, to comfort him, to say anything, but he just held up a blue hand. 

"I'm not finished. The Titan, Thanos, pulled me from my eternal descent and manipulated me towards his own goals, one of which was taking over your Midgard."

"Is that where the scars are from?"

Loki ran his hand over one of the larger ones on his abdomen as his eyes squeezed shut, feeling the phantom pains of that which was inflicted upon him. 

"I did awful things to you and your world, Katherine. Things that can never be excused. I- I should have resisted Thanos' punishments."

Katherine interrupted him and looked at him with tear-filled eyes. 

"I've seen how strong you are, Loki. I've felt it. Whatever this Thanos forced you to do, whatever torture he put you through, it must've been unbearable."

She walked around the coffee table and sat next to him, reaching for his hand. He tried to jerk it away, but she took it before he could and squeezed it gently. 

"New York may blame you for what he made you do, Loki, but I don't." She leaned in and hugged him tightly, feeling his muscles tense and then relax to wrap his arms around her in turn.

Loki's mind was reeling. Jotunn skin could cause frostbite to the delicate epidermis of humans, and there was no plausible explanation as to why Katherine wasn't screaming with fourth-degree ice burns. He made to release her, to push her away, but she just snuggled tighter into his embrace, molding her body into his unbending one. After she was satisfied, Katherine let go of him and cupped his face with her hand, forcing him to focus on her next words. 

"You are the victim, not the villain. And if anyone thinks otherwise, I'll kick their ass." Her voice was grave, but Loki couldn't help but chuckle. 

"I'm serious!" Katherine protested.

"I'm sure you are, little one." Loki smirked. He stood up off the couch and rose to his full frost giant height, having to duck a little to keep from bumping into Katherine's popcorn ceiling. 

"I think I can take care of myself, darling." Suddenly, he thought of a bit of mischief he could cause on her behalf. Behind her back, Loki flicked his hand and pushed his Seiðr deep into the foundations of the city. As he cast the spell he forced the blue to recede, starting from his fingertips and drawing back towards the ridges on his brow. 

Katherine frowned when the color receded fully. "I kind of like you that way."

Loki laughed. "Well, it does have its perks. When do you have to go back to work?"

"My manager, Brandon, let me take the weekend off - but I'm on the morning shift tomorrow."

Loki tsked in disapproval. "That simply won't do. It's much too cold outside."

"Did you knock your head when you fell off the Bi-whatever? It's April!" 

What Katherine didn't realize was that outside her windowless apartment, flurries of snow were _dumping_ from the sky. The mucky, humid weather had turned freezing in a matter of moments, sending eager tourists and exasperated vendors scurrying inside.

"You're right, darling. Silly of me. These Midgardian seasons are difficult to keep track of." He gave Katherine a dazzling smile, causing her to forget herself for a moment before she regained her senses. 

"Uhh, right. I can show you out if you're ready."

Of course Loki didn't _want_ to leave, but he knew the strain of the day needed a good night's rest. Besides, he had lots of things planned for her tomorrow. He flicked his hand to open a shimmering portal to his bedroom in the Tower, but paused before stepping through to turn back to her. 

"Goodnight, darling. I'll visit you at the restaurant, yes?"

She giggled. "I'll look forward to it. See you then, Loki."

Before he lost his nerve, Loki took her palm, turned it over, and kissed it gently.

"Until tomorrow, love." He said. He walked through the portal and closed it behind him with a wink of magic. 

Surprised laughter burst from Katherine's lips once he left, and she clutched her hand to her chest. She practically skipped into her bathroom, washing up quickly and wrangling her curls into a top knot before pulling on a pair of fuzzy socks and grabbing the throw blanket from the sofa. It was a little cold, Katherine thought, but it was probably just her idiot landlord cranking it down again.

Freckles followed her to her bed and gave a running leap, curling up with a purr in the corner. She gave him a few scratches and climbed into bed, fast asleep before her head hit the pillow. 

* * *

Katherine groaned as her alarm jolted her awake, reaching blindly for the snooze button. She mashed the radio button instead, and the overly cheerful voice of the hosts blared to life. 

_Good morning New York City! Our top story for today: A f_ _reak snowstorm last night forced New York into a standstill, leaving experts puzzled as to the cause. Mayor Crawford has announced a city-wide work holiday until tonight to let snowplows do their thing!_

Katherine blinked the fog from her eyes and pulled on a cardigan, starting a pot of coffee before putting on her slippers and heading to the small window at the end of the hall.

Sure enough, New York was blanketed with a foot of snow. But unlike the rest of NYC, Katherine knew exactly who had caused it. 

Miles across the city, Loki peered out of his window in the Tower and smiled at the mischief he had created. It was good to be back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Constructive criticism, as always, is welcome!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Katherine loves ice skating, and Loki is a horse girl.
> 
> Warnings: mentions of animal abuse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra long chapter, just because I love y'all so much! I probably need to proofread this, so let me know if there's anything I can fix.

Katherine snatched her phone out of her pocket, starting to dial Loki before she realized that she didn't have his number. Now that she thought about it, she wasn't convinced that he even had a phone.

He certainly hadn't used it while he'd been with her the past couple of days, and he probably had some magical raven that collected all of his fan mail for him.

Asshole.

She wasn't lying about the fan mail, though. She had hoped, naively, that she would be able to find some way to contact the God of Mischief without trekking through the tundra he created, but all she could find online was a massive amount of Tumblr accounts fawning over him. Ever since Loki had saved the day at the Met, he'd enjoyed a startlingly large online fan base. When the Avengers found out, Thor had clapped him on the back in congratulations, Steve was giving him Loki a strange sort of new respect, Tony was convinced that Loki had installed a magical virus, and Natasha chalked it up to "bad boy syndrome". The latter was probably the most accurate, as the majority of his newfound fandom was full of twenty-year-old women that _really_ liked his long hair.

Katherine was pissed. He couldn't wave his magic hands and shut down all of New York whenever he felt like it! She poured the coffee into her mug a little too aggressively, splashing it onto her hand and sending her into a string of curses. She wiped off the scalding liquid quickly and picked up her phone again, furiously searching for any way to call him before finding the "Office of Tony Stark" on Pepper's Linkedin. 

The pleasant voice of F.R.I.D.A.Y. answered immediately. 

"Hello, Miss Wilson. How may I help you today?"

"Hey F.R.I.D.A.Y." Katherine winced at how irritated she sounded, and moderated her tone quickly. "Is Loki around? I really need to talk to him."

"I'm sure he'd be happy to open a portal for you-"

Katherine cut F.R.I.D.A.Y. off. "You know what? No thanks. I'll walk."

She hung up.

Stupid, arrogant Norse deities and their stupid fucking magic! She dragged her winter coat from the dredges of her closet, the fur on the hood matted from being crunched on one side for two months, pulled on her snow-boots, and stormed out of her apartment. When she descended the stairs and stepped onto the pavement, immediately sunk six inches into the snow.

Now with cold seeping into her toes, Katherine fumed all the way to the Tower, her frustration growing more and more as she was business-owners shoveling out their storefronts and coffee shops quickly switching their signs from lemonade to hot chocolate and coffee. All around her, kids were throwing snowballs, making snow angels, and waging war against yetis that looked suspiciously like their older brothers. 

What Katherine _didn't_ see was the miles-long traffic that typically blocked the road, or the cacophony of honking that helped her go to sleep at night. It was if New York had been forced into hibernation by some benevolent god.

A benevolent god who happened to be curled up on a sofa holding a steaming cup of tea when Katherine busted through the door. 

Loki had to admit, Katherine looked like she had been through Helheim. Her usually bouncy curls were plastered to her forehead and neck, and looked muddy and damp rather than the cinnamon brown with just the faintest tinges of red that he so admired. From what he understood about mortal vision, he wasn't sure that human eyes could pick up the almost imperceptible, minute details of her beauty as he could.

He was lucky that he wasn't human, and could admire her in full. 

He was, however, unsure as to why his precious woman was screaming at him.

"What the hell did you do, Loki?" Katherine stalked towards where he was sitting, annoyed that she couldn't loom over him as she would like. He had quite a long torso, and so even while he was seated Katherine could only manage a slight downward tilt of her head rather than a towering glare. 

Loki just smirked and stretched one arm over the back of the sofa, taking a sip of tea before speaking. "It appears I was right about the weather. New York can be so unpredictable in the spring, don't you think?" He mused. 

"You- you!" Katherine growled. "You can't just cut off every minimum-wage earner's source of income in the city! How are we supposed to go to work?" She took in a lungful of air, but in that time Loki had already found a response. 

"But it's a city holiday, love. It is good to take some time off," he said, as if that were helpful.

"You can't get paid if you don't go into work, Loki."

He faltered. "I-I didn't think about that."

Katherine had reached her boiling point. "No, you didn't, because you're a spoiled, arrogant prick who's literally _poofed_ everything he's ever wanted-"

Loki grabbed her flailing arm to calm her.

"I'm sorry," He said.

Unfortunately, Katherine knew he meant it. She let out a deep sigh, and then flopped down next to him. 

"It's ok, Loki. I was overreacting a little bit - one day isn't going to kill anyone, and people probably could use a break. But you really have to think these things through!"

"You're right, darling. Sometimes I enjoy the chaos a little _too_ much, to the detriment of others. For that, I sincerely apologize. I will get rid of it." He started to roll his wrist to force the snow away before Katherine yelped and grabbed it. 

"Don't! The news has already chalked this up to global warming, and it'll be suspicious if it all disappears right away. Leave it, at least overnight."

The sly grin slid onto his face once more as he dropped his hand slowly, the green glow disappearing. "So we should enjoy it while we can, yes?"

Katherine sighed. "Since I don't have _anything better_ to do, sure."

"You cannot tell me that you didn't enjoy snow days as a child." Katherine laughed.

"I grew up in Texas, Loki. The only weather days we had were because of floods or hurricanes."

He stiffened, indignant. "But your childhood missed out on so much, my love!"

Katherine's stomach fluttered when he put the possessive to his endearments, claiming her as _his._ Sure, his pet names grated against her feminist sensibilities, but she couldn't deny how it made her heart beat just a bit faster. Thankfully, Loki continued talking about snowmen and angels, evidently not noticing her sharp intake of breath.

He stood up and opened a portal, dragging a protesting Katherine alongside him and discreetly drying her damp clothing and hair while waterproofing her boots with a wisp of Seiðr. When the shimmering magic dissipated, they stood on the now snowy banks of The Lake, the largest body of water in Central Park.

As Katherine blinked the dizziness out of her eyes, Loki knelt at the foot of the water and touched it gently with two fingers. Pure white energy rippled out from the bank towards the center, forming a two-inch thick layer of ice that matched the previously tepid lake to the winter landscape surrounding it. With one last pulse of magic, Loki froze the fountain in the center in an instant, crystalizing the droplets and causing them to catch the morning sun, scattering dimples of light across the rink he had created. 

Katherine looked around in awe. She had never seen such a picturesque scene in her entire life as she turned around to marvel at the winter wonderland surrounding her. Loki made a mental note to thank Skaldi, the Goddess of Winter, a fellow frost giant, and one of his dearest friends for _hopefully_ not letting him embarrass himself with what he was about to show her. 

In the moment before Loki stepped onto the ice, molten carbon steel solidified on the bottom his boots, forming ice skating blades that let him glide gracefully as he turned around to face her. 

"Uh- I've never done this before, Loki. I may need some help... woaah!!" Loki had made a ramp of ice leading down from where she stood and added identical skates to his own on the bottom of her shoes, forcing her to slide towards him with wobbly knees and outstretched, flailing arms. She skidded down the ramp and crashed into him with tangled limbs, one leg sliding between his two stable ones. Loki, refusing to let her fall, just held her rib cage until she could catch her balance. 

"I'll help you, darling. You'll enjoy it, I promise," he reassured her. Loki demonstrated how she should lean into her supporting leg and push off with the other, sending him gliding away from her just to make a quick, elegant loop and return to her side. 

Now hip-to-hip, Loki encouraged her to lean against him as she made little penguin steps towards the center of the lake, slipping and laughing all the while. Once Loki taught her how to accelerate and stop by herself, he let her go and glided off on his own, quite literally skating circles around her. He looked like he belonged on the ice, and every turn or jump me made was full of effortless grace. 

"You're a natural, Loki! This isn't fair," Katherine pouted playfully. He crossed his front foot over his back one to spin and skate backwards, now jokingly taunting her.

"I've had millenia of experience, my love. It's best not to compare yourself to perfecti-" His back skate caught on a rough patch of ice, and he landed directly on his rear with a grunt. 

Katherine burst into wheezing laughter as she came to a shaky stop, hands on her knees. Spreading her legs into a wide stance to prevent her from falling, she offered her hand to an indignant Loki sprawled on his back. 

Loki replaced his mental note with a promise that Skaldi would find a snake in her bath when she least expected it. 

Still on his back, Loki took Katherine's hand and sat up, abdominal muscles contracting before the mischief in him took over and yanked her hand hard, sending her falling on top of him with a yelp. 

He smothered a chuckle as she laid across his chest, but he could feel her stomach shake as she laughed silently. Taking in lungfuls of air, she pushed herself up and off the ice and braced herself on his shoulders, hair falling over his face and brushing his neck. 

"That was not very nice, Loki."

He just reached up and tucked her hair into her ear, staring at her with eyes that she felt could see into her very soul. His lips parted ever so slightly, and she bent her elbow to lean in towards him before a shout jolted them apart. 

"Hey, you two! Get off the ice!" A police officer from the NYPD bellowed at them from the shore. "You need a permit for that!"

Katherine got to her feet slowly, squinting towards the officer in the distance. "I can't understand you, officer! Can you yell louder?"

Katherine could hear him screaming perfectly fine, but she was just stalling to see what Loki would do. The man took a big gulp of air, beer belly expanding and straining the buttons on his uniform. "You're under arrest, young lady!" However, only the God of Mischief's ears could pick up when the officer muttered " _stupid bitch"_ under his breath. 

Loki rose to his full height and pulled a knife from _who-knows-where_ , but Katherine just grabbed his free hand and yanked him in the opposite direction, skating towards the shore as fast as her legs could take her. 

The officer started to chase them, but Loki snapped his fingers and the ice splintered and cracked around him, sending him plunging into the now freezing water. It was shallow enough to ensure that he wouldn't be injured, but it would be a long, cold trek back to whatever station he came from. 

Loki wouldn't let that man interrupt their moment without consequences. 

Katherine's voice, just a little bit ahead of him now, shook him out of his thoughts. 

"Come on, Loki! This way!"

He sped up to catch her, taking her hand so that their steps moved in unison to the silent but undeniable beat they now shared. Katherine looked up at Loki as he glanced over at her, their eyes meeting for a heart-stopping moment before she blushed and turned away, focusing on the ice in front of her. 

"He's going to be okay, right?" Katherine asked softly, and Loki's heart sank with the realization that she still doubted him. 

"He'll be fine," said Loki, a bit of an edge to his normally smooth voice. They skated in silence until they reached the opposite shore, the blades disappearing the instant they stepped onto solid ground. Katherine was searching for something, _anything_ to say to him when Loki's head shot up and swiveled around.

"Was that a horse?" A second whinny, loud enough for Katherine to pick up on, echoed across the snow.

"I think there's some stables for the carriage rides for the tourists."

"They're in pain." Loki had already started to walk towards the direction of the neighing horses, and Katherine had to hop through the snow to keep up. 

"What?"

"I can understand them." Katherine wasn't surprised, but was intrigued all the same. 

"What are they saying?" Loki picked up his pace, forcing Katherine into a jog to keep up with him. They entered a clearing with a small and seemingly abandoned barn structure. It clearly used to be red, but the building was in serious need of renovation and was now entirely gray with some pink streaks underneath the windows and roof. As if the horses could sense them, a chorus of guttural, terrified sounds came from the barn, almost as if they were screaming.

"The've been overworked and starved, and they're extremely weak," he translated. Loki set his jaw and forced the rusty sliding door on the barn open, ripping it straight off it's hinges and throwing it unceremoniously into the snow behind him. There were probably thirty horses in there, crammed two to a stall. Some were neighing incessantly, some were silent with their ears pinned back, and almost all were jostling against their cages, banging their bodies against the rotting wood and iron doors holding them in their own manure.

Around the gates into and out of the stalls were iron padlocks trapping the horses inside. A few of the doors still had dangling, frayed ends of a rope attached, as if the pieces had once held the doors shut but had been broken and subsequently replaced.

It appeared that these horses had, at one point, attempted to break free and failed. He walked up to a black mare so ridden with fleas that her body was constantly twitching to keep the bites at bay and reached his hand through the bars, resting his palm on the matted tuft of hair between her ears. She confirmed what he had thought about their attempted escape with soft nickers and puffs of air, and Loki promised her that he would not let her fail twice. 

With a curl of emerald, Loki brandished two knives and sliced the chain connected to the padlock on the first door as if it were butter and stood aside as the black mare and her cellmate burst from their confinement and ran into the outdoors, tossing up snow with their hooves as they stretched their legs. 

Loki made to cut open the next one when Katherine interrupted him.

"Loki wait-" He whirled around.

"Damn your laws, Katherine! I don't care if it's unacceptable on Midgard, but these creatures were tortured to the brink of death! I'm letting them go." She recoiled at his outburst, but then she just shook her head and held out her hand, palm up. 

"I was gonna ask for the other knife."

Loki deflated. "I'm sorry for yelling at you, darling. Everything here is so different, and I need to grow accustomed to it." He handed her the blade and explained that, while it was enchanted to cut through any material, he had instructed it not to cut her skin and she was therefore permitted to hack away as she pleased. 

"Huh? You told _the knife_ not to cut me?" 

He just raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you're right. Weirder shit has happened today." She laughed incredulously, getting to work on freeing a chestnut stallion and a dappled gray mare. When the adult horses ran free, a tiny foal came stumbling out of the muck, evidently taking its first steps on its own.

"Look! Loki- a baby!" She cooed, squatting down to run her fingers through its soft, fluffy mane that just beginning to grow. Loki turned and knelt down as well, running soothing hands over the foal's back. She had obviously been malnourished and was weak from lack of muscular development while cramped in the disgusting barn. 

The foal's hips and ribs were so prominent that her entire skeleton protruded through her skin, and through soft whimpers Loki learned that she had cowered under her mother's belly as her sire was forced to pull humans for hours and hours. It broke Loki's heart, and he promised the foal that he wouldn't allow it to happen again.

Katherine watched as Loki communicated with the foal - he didn't speak, but did react to what she "said" as if he were holding a conversation with a toddler. After a loving little spank on her rump, the foal pranced outside, frolicking with her parents and finally getting the chance to strengthen those knobby knees.

After making quick work of the other padlocks, there was a herd of joyful horses neighing, running, and generally enjoying their newfound freedom. 

"What are we going to do with them? If we let them go, we bankrupt the whole carriage business," Loki pointed out. 

Katherine shrugged. "From what those bastards did to these poor horses, I hope they go to prison. Put 'em somewhere they'll be left alone for once."

"Do you have a location in mind?"

Katherine nodded. The plains of Texas where she had grown up would give them plenty of room to run, and all the grass they could eat. Plus, no one would bat an eye if thirty horses showed up in the hill country. It was perfect. 

"Take my hand and concentrate on it and I'll send them there." Katherine clasped her hand into his and pictured a wide, empty field that she had always longed to play in when she went down to the river in the summer. Sure enough, a portal swirled to life and, at Loki's encouragement, the herd galloped into the warmth of the plains in the afternoon.

Loki smiled when the last horse ran through, but Katherine noticed how the blood vessels in his neck popped out with strain, and the hand that she was holding shook ever so slightly. 

"You okay?" She asked. 

"Fine," he grunted. "It's a bit more challenging to change reality so drastically, but I'll be alright." Katherine studied him for a few more seconds in worry, but jumped when her phone buzzed. She groaned audibly when she saw that it was from Brandon: 

_Where are you? The roads are clear and we're opening in thirty minutes. Get here ASAP._

Katherine showed Loki the text and his shoulders slumped just a tiny bit. "I suppose that's the end of our snow day, little one. Did it meet all your expectations?" 

"Meh," said Katherine. He gave her a look of shock before she bust out into laughter and shoved him playfully on the shoulder. "You should've seen the look on your face!"

He scoffed and walked ahead of her, aristocratic nose held high in the air, but Katherine ran up, hugged him from behind, and held him back as she whispered in his ear. 

"It was straight out of a dream, Loki. Thank you."

"Anytime, my love. Did you bring your uniform?"

"No, I didn't. Do you mind?" He had already started to wrap magic around her before she asked, but he still smiled at her request. He clothed her exactly as he had seen her on the first day they met, leaving her coat on keep out the cold. He was pleased to see his necklace resting in the v between the open top button of her collar.

Katherine looked down at herself, delighted with his magic as always, but felt a familiar panic rise in her throat when she saw her skirt.

"Do you mind if I wear pants instead?" she burst out, almost pleading with him. "If it's too much of a hassle..."

"Of course not." Loki morphed her skirt into slim black trousers with a twist of his hand, mentally kicking himself at not anticipating her reaction but brushing it off so that she wouldn't notice. Opening a portal to the street across _La Tableau_ with a flourish, he gave her one last glance over and nudged her through. 

"I'll see you tonight, yes?" he asked. Katherine turned over her shoulder, already halfway through the portal.

"I'm closing tonight, so I may not be off work until late."

Loki smirked. "Then I'll have to visit my favorite waitress for dinner." The last thing he saw when he snapped the portal shut was the blush on Katherine's cheeks. 

* * *

Loki set off towards the tower with a spring in his step, blissfully unaware of the eyes watching him from Asgard. 

Heimdall, being the dutiful watchman that he was, had been observing Loki's actions all day and decided that it was time to show the queen what her favorite son had been up to.

The God of Mischief might have met his match after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer! As far as I know, there are no stables like this in New York (thank goodness!). The carriage rides are pretty well-regulated, and this mistreatment is entirely fictional. 
> 
> I feel like I haven't checked in with y'all enough. How are you doing? I know that some places are spiking again, so I hope everyone is wearing a mask and staying safe!
> 
> Hugs and Kudos,  
> sayalittleprayerforloki


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No warnings here!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long! I got into a new book series, and when I get started I just can't put it down. 
> 
> (Who am I kidding, we're on AO3. I'm sure you all know exactly how I feel.) Anyways, enjoy!

Heimdall had immediately set out from his observatory at the news, taking long strides into the heart of the city with his cape snapping around his ankles. While he had never considered Loki a friend (especially given that particularly distasteful run-in with the Cask on the Bifrost), he didn't consider him to be an enemy of the people as so many in Asgard did. Although Heimdall usually refrained from listening to the gossip flying from the mouths of Asgard's inhabitants, he had noticed that it was unusually centered on the second son of Odin in the recent months. 

News of the former prince's banishment had flown low and fast from the palace gates, sweeping through the mainland like toxic, sulfurous gas from a wildfire. Asgardians were never slow to pass judgement on others, but it was astounding to see the vitriol with which news of Loki's punishment had been received. It was almost as if the people had _wanted_ to hate him, to see him fail. 

Heimdall did not share their sentiments. 

To him, Loki was clearly conflicted and in pain, the pieces of his identity and his nature in an incessant war for power over him. Although even he could not see what had occurred after Loki's fall from grace, he knew from the manic in his eyes at Stuttgart that he had been manipulated past the brink of sanity. Loki was, perhaps with the exception of Frigga, the strongest magic-wielder on Asgard. His natural aptitude combined with the constant injuries from Thor's "brotherly love" had made him impervious to almost all things, both magical and physical; it would take something much stronger than a beating to break the former prince.

Now lost in his thoughts, Heimdall watched the setting sun dip over the silhouette of the palace as he neared the entrance, ascending the winding staircase towards the royal quarters quickly and quietly as to not disturb the nearby library. He finished his climb and entered Frigga's private room, just an open door away from her husbands. 

Frigga, poised over her scrying bowl, didn't even acknowledge his presence. He stood behind the doorframe awkwardly, unsure if his news was important enough to interrupt what seemed to be a deeply complex spell.

"I know you're there, Heimdall. Come in." She waved him forward with a graceful finger, still too intent on the image in the bowl to look up at him.

"My queen," said Heimdall as he bowed low, "I'm here to deliver news about your son." 

Frigga hummed in acknowledgement as Heimdall peered over the bowl, seeing a watery image of Loki taking the girl's hand to help her out of the snow just before golden magic swirled out of sight. 

"I'm quite aware of all he's been up to," she said with a wink. "I don't watch him all the time, but when I check in he's almost always with this mortal. He seems to be quite fond of her-Kate, is it?"

Heimdall dipped his head. "Katherine, your majesty. He's used an unusual amount of Seiðr while with her." Heimdall paused, uncertain.

Frigga raised an eyebrow, missing nothing. "Speak freely, Guardian."

"Do you ever regret sharing your magic with him? Knowing all the pain it caused?"

Frigga smiled sadly as she carried the gilded bowl to her balcony and poured the water over the flowering ivy creeping up the railing. 

"I had hoped that sharing my gifts with Loki would help him find some sun for himself. Seeing the shadows that Thor cast-we kept the truth from him for so long, I worried about his feelings of legitimacy for the throne. I fear it brought him more darkness than even he could handle. He was always so perceptive about everyone but himself," Frigga murmured, almost to herself. "In the end, it's in the Norns' control. When he is with her, he is happier than I have seen him in millenia, and he seems to please her as well. It is a valuable thing, to be pursued by a God of Asgard," she chuckled, remembering the lengths her husband went to prove his worth during their courtship. "I wish them the best."

Heimdall stepped towards the balcony and rested his large hands on the rail, peering out on Asgard before speaking. "You do not worry that he is using her to fulfill the Rites?"

She paused to consider. "I wouldn't put it past him. Do you think he knows?"

"I'd be surprised if he hadn't figured it out through Thor," Heimdall suggested. "He could be putting her on display to prove he's ready."

Frigga shook her head, topaz in her crown tinkling against the gold setting. "I don't believe so, but he always was so convincing. For her sake, I hope not."

Heimdall met her eyes, a newfound crease on her delicate brow as she made to speak. "Poor little mortal, it would crush her."

* * *

Katherine had been jumpy since she arrived at _La Tableau_ to set up for the evening shift, but she made sure that Brandon would have no reason to dock her for taking days to recover. Hugh, apparently, had been banned from the restaurant after a particularly _forceful_ call by a Mrs. Pepper Potts, warning that she would go to the media if his patronage continued. 

Evidently, Brandon was more scared of Pepper than he was of Hugh's father, so he assured her that he would never be seen again. Pepper was an angel to do this for her, and Katherine had privately decided to tell the Iron Man that his wife was owed a lot more than twelve percent of Stark Industries. 

Katherine continued about her duties almost mindlessly, making her rounds with a pitcher of ice water when the doorbell jingled pleasantly. She whipped her head up to see Loki, disguised in the persona she had seen on the day they had met, coming through the door with a smile that made her heart skip a beat. His eyes found hers unerringly, but she stopped dead in her tracks when he gave her a swift wink. 

It wasn't the smirk that gave her butterflies, or the fact that his suit outlined _all_ the sharp edges of his shoulders. It wasn't even the smooth, deep, possibly-British-but-maybe-Austrailian accent he used to ask for a table.

It was the drop-dead gorgeous woman on his arm. 

Katherine's heart sunk and boiled in equal measure. Who the hell was this girl? She let her eyes rake over the new woman, finding herself grudgingly admitting that she was stunningly beautiful. She was wearing a tight but surprisingly tasteful ivory dress with puffed sleeves and was dripping in gold jewelry from her neck to the embellished straps on her tall heels, and as she walked through the door she let out a peal of laughter that sounded like music on the wind.

Katherine hated her instantly. W _hy the hell was she clinging to Loki's arm like it was her goddamn lifeline?_

Katherine turned around abruptly and all but marched towards the kitchen, deciding to delve into her work rather than address the God she had grown so fond of over the last few days.

Had it really only been that long? Katherine felt as if she had grown immensely in her relationship with Loki, even to the point where she thought about taking it further. Now, it was clear that she had been ridiculously naïve. How many women had he charmed in the same manner? Giving them gifts, crooning sweet sentiments, protecting them. It must be all a part of his game, a way to lure the vulnerable to him in order to place them firmly under his spell. 

She should have known. When he had been so breathtakingly honest with her, showing her his true nature, explaining what he had been through, she thought that he trusted her. That she was the _only_ girl he trusted. 

Now, she had no idea if that was even true. 

She gathered up trays and drinks and whisked them around the dining room almost mindlessly, refusing to look at the alcoved booth where Loki was seated. She should've known that ignoring him wasn't as easy as she had hoped. 

"Hello, darling." Loki's singsong voice sounded in her ear as if he were standing right behind her, and Katherine jumped out of her skin. She jerked the tray she was holding but managed to regain control at the last minute, steading the sliding cups and bowls. She pointedly turned away from him and set down her tray, using the cloth tucked into her apron to wipe whatever liquid had spilled. 

"Do you not recognize me? I'm seated in one of these lovely booths." Now, Katherine turned to look at him across the room and flat-out glared, then deliberately tightened her ponytail and went to take another family's order. He mercifully refrained from speaking in her ear again, and Katherine snuck a furtive glance in his direction. 

Oddly, he didn't seem to be talking to the woman at all. They both sat and ate the bread on the table in what appeared to be companionable silence, but he wasn't displaying the charm that Katherine knew he possessed. Intrigued, she mustered up her nerve, picked up her notepad, and walked over to his table, plastering her pleasant smile that she reserved for Brandon's designated "valuable customers". 

"What can I get for you today?"

He picked up the menu and scanned it briefly before ordering a vintage wine and the chef's special, a rosemary Wagyu filet mignon. Katherine exhaled a little bit of air from her nose in amusement before writing it down and glancing up at the woman seated across from him. 

"And you?" Katherine asked, yanking her expression into one of neutrality when she looked at her expectantly. Loki spoke quickly, drawing her focus back to him. 

"She'll have the same." Katherine shook her head in disbelief but drew the kitchen shorthand for a double order on her notepad. 

"You know that's the most expensive thing on the menu. You trying to impress your date here?" She cocked her eyebrow, but watched closely to see his reaction. 

Loki just smirked. “Impress you with what? My magically created currency?”

She was about to concede that he was entitled to do whatever he wanted with his magical bank account when the woman laughed and shook her head. 

"Besides, I'm not his date. I'm his - counterpart, so to speak." Blinking in surprise, Katherine looked at the lady across from him. Her voice was gentle, but held an undercurrent of power that she'd only ever heard before from one man.

The woman tossed her hair over her shoulder, a mischievous smirk on her elegant features. "Lady Loki, at your service." 

"Are you for real?" 

Loki-the real one-smiled. "As the sunrise, darling. I figured it would be... uncouth to arrive here without a companion, so I called on an old friend." Lady Loki's body shimmered and disappeared for a millisecond before righting itself. 

"Oh god, I really am stupid. I saw you with this gorgeous woman and I thought..." 

He cut her off. "Darling, were you - jealous?"

She scoffed in an attempt to redirect his pointed question. "Why would I be jealous? It's not like we're dating."

"Do you want to be?" His voice dropped an octave lower, and he took her hand unoccupied by the pad of paper and brought it slowly to his lips, kissing her knuckle. "I'm excellent at courting, and I could call you _my_ love, _my_ darling," he continued with a wink, " _my pet"._

It was Katherine's turn to laugh, and she burst out into a fit so hard she snorted. "Oh my God!" she managed wheezed out. 

"I could be that too, if you'd prefer," said Loki as her laughter subsided. 

"You're impossible!" she whispered, now hyperaware of those around him and the massive lecture she was about to get from Brandon about flirting with customers. She leaned towards him and dropped her volume to a whisper.

"But don't call me pet _, ever_. You already got me Freckles," she pointed out. Lady Loki cleared her throat, and Katherine glanced behind her to see Brandon's eyes that could have worn holes into her chest if he glared any harder. 

"Darling?" Loki asked in concern.

"Sorry, I've got to put your order in. Still on the clock," Katherine reminded him apologetically. Loki waved her away, not wanting her to lose her job because of his distractions. 

Her manager, however, presented a different issue. He was a little weasel of a man, and while he may have paid fair wages to his beloved, it appeared that he had Mjolnir's handle stuck up his ass. 

Loki's face brightened with the realization of what he could do to... _help_ this poor man's predicament before sending an invisible wisp of Seiðr towards Brandon. 

The man would be on the toilet for _days_ to flush his bowels out. Loki smirked at another delicious bit of mischief completed, and busied himself with the loaf of sourdough and the obligatory flirting with his counterpart until his precious woman returned. 

Katherine brought over his food and wine with a brilliant smile on her face. 

"What do you say, darling? Will you allow me to court you?" He asked.

She giggled. "Sure, Loki. Promise you won't break my heart?" she teased.

His face turned solemn. "I would never, my love. Courting, or dating as you know it" he explained, "is quite a formal process on Asgard. I will need to return to ask the permission of my mother."

Yes, he was banned from entering through the Bifrost, but that had never stopped him before. Odin was foolish to believe that there was only one way in and out of the Golden Realm. 

"That's kind of sweet! Take your time. All I'm doing is working this week anyways," she said. Loki stood up, kissed her on the cheek, and strode out the door, leaving a sullen Lady Loki at the table. 

"It appears I've been stood up," she pouted. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'll call this chapter: "Loki Having No Regard for His Personal Safety (ft. Wanda and Vision)".

It didn’t take Loki long to acquire the necessary ingredients to travel between the worlds, especially given Midgard’s endearing ignorance or the magic right under their noses. New York has access to a vast network of pigeons that he bribed into supplying him with what he needed: a tablespoon of all-natural, local honey, a signed copy of White Fragility, and a Diva Cup.

Well, he just stole the Diva Cup from a local Walgreens right by the Tower. But to be fair, he had left a magnificent engagement ring that had been gifted to him by Freya on the checkout counter. When the time came for an engagement, he preferred to make his own - but the ring was worth a quarter of a billion dollars in midgardian money and he thought it would provide an ample substitute.

Unfortunately, gathering the ingredients was the pleasant part. Because Loki had been barred from entering Asgard through the Bifrost, he needed to open a doorway through specific entry points scattered across Midgard’s United States. Humans had been fumbling all over them for centuries without noticing the power that lay underneath: notably, Walt Disney himself built a perfect replica of Yggdrasil in his own theme park and established a line directly to Thor’s bedroom in the process. The Washington Monument, if one went up and down in the elevator for exactly thirty-seven minutes, led to Jotunheim, and, of course, the primordial homeland of Norway could access just about any part of the Nine Realms. 

Loki, however, was tethered to New York for the time being and would have to get creative. Luckily for him, he had never been adverse to asking for help. 

It was in this spirit of cooperation that Loki found himself on the Scarlet Witch's doorstep, stepping gracefully out of a portal just to have his black leather boot squelch in an unpleasant mixture of melting snow and mud. He raised a hand to knock, but his fist passed clean through the door, shifting his center of gravity through the wrought iron and forcing him pitching headfirst until he tucked to roll and come up standing in an ornate marble hallway.

The interior of Wanda's house was Gothic in style, the foyer featuring a massive stained-glass window that filtered in the rich hues of the sunset. Loki's senses immediately focused on the immense source of power casually leaning against the now-solidified door and whipped his head around.

Vision raised a hand in greeting and spoke in the even, not-quite placable accent of Tony's old assistant, Jarvis. 

"Loki of Asgard. What brings you here?"

Loki brushed off his black jeans and held out his hand, which Vision peered at with curiosity before giving it a firm shake.

"I require the counsel of your... girlfriend?" Loki questioned.

"Humans would call it that," Vision said bluntly. 

"Just a girlfriend, my love?" Wanda's sultry voice echoed across the foyer as she descended the double staircase, trailing a graceful hand with blood-red lacquer on her nails behind her. "I thought we were past such labels," she teased, allowing the android to take her hand, flip it over, and press a gentle kiss to her knuckles before focusing on Loki who, in a rare lapse of grace, was standing rather awkwardly to the side. 

"Excuse me, but I'm afraid I need your help again," Loki began. Wanda shook her head before he could start to explain.

"Vision and I scanned the rubble while workers were cleaning up the mess at the Met. The ceiling gave way to structural damage, not magic. Could have been a pebble, or something falling off a windowsill. No explanations for you today, "

"While I appreciate that, really, that's not what I'm here for," Loki explained, before being cut off by Wanda again. 

“You want vodka?" She interrupted with a frown. "Tony's stash is not strong enough for my taste, but I told the Widow to keep our morning drinking between us.”

“No,” Loki emphasized, growing frustrated. “I thought you would know the nearest portal to transport me to Asgard, safely,” he added quickly, as all witches worth their salt didn’t usually follow through on the well-being of their clients. Wanda hummed for a moment in thought before shrugging.

“No can do. If I understand correctly, my magic is not drawn from the same source as yours, and I don’t deal with anything inter-realm. Vis?” Wanda questioned. 

The android’s eyes darted back and forth once, calculating the risks and trajectories of opening a portal on Loki’s unique physiology. “I'm detecting a breach directly to Asgard: however, it's not in the most opportune of locations for re-entry.”

“That won’t be a problem,” Loki assured him. It _might_ be a problem, but he hoped that, with the help of his mother, Odin would give him a pass and allow him to return by Bifrost. Besides, Loki had always been the ask-forgiveness-not-permission type. "Where is it?"

As Vision's cybernetic eyes narrowed in concentration, Wanda picked up what he was thinking and tried to smother a laugh. "Vikings like the water, yes?"

* * *

"Not this kind," Loki grumbled, peering over the shark tank at the New York City Aquarium. Below him, black-tipped and striped sharks circled what the sign indicated was the Canyon's Edge, the newest and largest tank. The trio had made their way to the staff entrance under the cover of night, knocking out the posted guard with a few whispered words from the Scarlet Witch. Now, the God of Mischief was stripping down to his boxers to dive to the bottom of the shark-infested waters in order to touch the treasure chest protruding from the canyon's bottom. As he shed his shoes and socks, the hanging scaffolding swung back and forth, reeking of shark bait. 

Luckily, Loki could swim. Unluckily, he hated to do so and hadn't practiced since Thor had thrown him into Élivágar.

The primordial river remained just over a freezing temperature for the majority of the year, and once Thor had thought it funny to knock Loki off his hunting horse while they were chasing a particularly tricky stag. Of course, the cold didn't bother Loki - but maintaining his Aesir glamour while being submerged in ice was difficult when he was just learning about the nature of his shapeshifting ability. Thor had teased him about his "hypothermia" for weeks after Loki couldn't seem to shake the pale blue tinge to his lips.

Loki smiled sadly at the memory. His childhood, while turbulent, was a simpler time. Now fully undressed, he glanced at Wanda, who was eyeing the tank carefully.

"Scared of getting wet, Witch?" Loki teased. Vision stiffened at that and wrapped his arms protectively around Wanda's waist, but she gently elbowed him to loosen his steel grip. 

"Not the water. The sea-tigers," she motioned to the sharks. Vision solemnly nodded in agreement and apparent understanding. Loki just quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing as he stacked his boots neatly on top of his jeans and sweater. 

"I should be back before the day ends. Do not tell Stark where I have gone."

"If he comes to us, what are we supposed to do? _Lie_?" Vision asked incredulously, his cybernetic mouth twitching as if the very word were abhorrent.

Loki flashed a grin. "Who do you think you're speaking to?" And with that, he took two steps towards the end of the staff platform and dove, raising his arms above his head and interlocking his fingers to cut through the water quickly and shoot past the ring of circling sharks with a few powerful kicks.

The flurry of bubbles tickled his stomach, making him clench his core as he pushed himself towards the portal, arms coming down to trail at his side. With one last burst of effort, he reached out and grasped the gilded handle of the chest. A soft glow started beneath the gold coins, spilling along the Canyon's Edge and illuminating the sharks growing ever-closer, curious as to the new creature who had entered their domain.

As one shark broke rank and started to speed towards him, the chest pulsed, then emitted a brilliant flash of light that blinded him before he felt a sharp tug and everything went dark. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki makes a quick trip to Asgard to talk to his mom, avoids Odin completely. 
> 
> As he should.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi lovelies! Here's the new chapter, and here's to a better 2021. Happy new year!

Loki jolted upright in the basement storage room of an Asgardian tavern, rubbing water droplets from his eyes as casks of mead swam on the periphery of his vision. Although he gathered from the small ground-level window that night had fallen on Asgard, he could hear the uproarious laughter from the tavern above. 

Most Asgardians, after all, didn't have to sleep nightly: most engaged in revelries for about a week without resting, crashed for half a day, and started all over again. While Loki had certainly participated in these wild parties in his youth, he preferred a sharp mind and tried to sleep more frequently. Thor, of course, would always try to find him to drag him back to the dance floor, so Loki had to get creative when it came to his power naps.

That's where his shapeshifting abilities were brought into use in his first few hundred years. After Loki grew comfortable with shifting his appearance to look like others, he ventured into animal shapes and the distinct challenges that came with mastering animal personalities. He tended to gravitate towards leaner, lithe animals more like himself: cats, wolves, birds of prey, and (of course) snakes were all common forms he would take on. 

If a situation called for it, Loki could shift into just about anything and remain undetected using minimal Seiðr. As a result, he spent many years sneaking around the palace halls as a housecat, learning the secrets that were too solemn or scandalous to reveal anywhere but behind closed doors.

Eventually, Thor caught onto his schemes and would snatch him up by the scruff of his neck and tuck him under his arm like an American football before chucking him into the nearest fountain, leaving a sputtering, sulky, and soaking wet teenage prince.

Still, Loki thought it was a delightful use of his talents. An easy escape from his body, like shifting into a different reality for a while.

But ever since Thanos, he loathed to do it. His animal forms were like different personalities: he would often shift into a myriad of creatures to avoid or escape painful situations. When the pain the Dark Titan inflicted became unbearable, Loki would involuntarily shift into one of his other forms as a reflex; but Thanos and his children would begin their punishments again, adapting their methods as his protean body changed. 

That's how he recognized those horses screams of pain so quickly: they were so similar to his own. Form by form, Thanos had tortured him beyond recognition and burned away the intricate magic that bonded his Jotunn and Asgardian selves to the others, severing the connections between the forms he had used freely for so long. 

So while he would have loved to effortlessly fly into the night, he had a sort of mental block on shapeshifting ever since escaped the Titan's clutches. 

Luckily, he could still use his Seiðr, though not to the fullest extent. He had noticed it earlier when sparring with Thor and preforming other feats for Katherine: once negligible effort had turned into considerable strain when he preformed magic.

Loki resolved that he must power through, slowly regain his strength. Perhaps his ties, although not ancestral, to Asgard were waning the longer he stayed away and sapping his magic - he would ask his mother to be sure. She was the only weilder of Seiðr more accomplished than he, though she rarely flexed her skills: he was certain she could give him advice not only on his Seiðr, but also on his courtship.

He snapped a portal open to his mother's bedchamber, a destination that was so familiar to him it was practically engrained in his muscle memory. He took a deep breath and stepped through into her golden bedroom, pulling back the curtain on the poster bed to gently touch her shoulder and shake her awake. Her eyes snapped open, and she looked around her wildly for a moment before focusing on her son.

"Loki?" she asked, rubbing her eyes groggy. It was, after all, the middle of the night on Asgard and her sleeping practices were similar to his own. With a bolt of recognition, she sat upright and her eyes opened wide. "My son!"

She leaped out of bed, embracing him with a beaming smile on her face before holding him at arms length. "You look so slim, darling. Have you been eating? Surely the Tower your brother resides in has enough food to feed you both."

Loki let out a chuckle at the mention of Thor's eating habits. "Perhaps I have been training too hard, skipping a few mealtimes."

Frigga's brows pressed together in the way that all mothers' do when worried about their children. "Loki, I'm concerned for you. You disappeared from my vision for so long, I feared you were actually dead this time."

Loki, mind racing for an explanation but maintaining an impenetrable facade of calm, just quirked an eyebrow and focused on the latter part of her statement. "As if all my other deaths were illegitimate?" Loki scoffed, pretending to be offended. Frigga, missing nothing as always, pressed him further. 

"This is not a jesting matter, my son. Tell me. What happened after your fall?"

Loki just looked at her, pleading, hoping he should not have to tell her. She was the only one he could ever not lie to, the only one who understood all that he truly was and accepted him for it. 

She bowed her head, seeing her son's expression. "That is alright, my boy. I trust you will allow me to help you ease your burdens in time. Tonight is for celebration between you and I, yes?"

Relieved, Loki grasped her hand and squeezed it into his. "Thank you, mother. Eventually, I promise you."

Frigga forced a smile but looked stern. "Good, or I will pry it from your mind. Do not doubt it, my son." 

"I would like to see you try. I am not your pupil any longer," Loki reminded her in a teasing tone. 

"I fear your attentions have been diverted by some distinctly non-magical characters in recent weeks that may be clouding your judgement. Do tell, what about this mortal you have been spending so much of your time with?"

With that, Loki's smirk split into a beaming smile. "She is lovely, Mother. She is the reason I have sought you out this night. Katherine is brilliant, and kind, and charming, and the most stunning woman I have ever laid my eyes upon."

"That would have been the first thing you noticed, yes? Fandral is not the only rake hailing from Asgard, I am well aware." They both laughed, just happy to be in each other's presence again. "If you're asking for my blessing, you have it in full. I have been watching her since you met, just a check-in from time to time," she clarified quickly at Loki's expression of protest. "She seems as lovely as you say, and I hope to meet her one day. Perhaps a visit to Asgard?"

"I would enjoy that very much, as would she, I'm sure. As soon as Odin allows me back in these halls, I will return with her on my arm," Loki promised.

Frigga turned down her shoulders slightly at that, ever so graceful in doing so. "He does present an issue to us both, but he's been wrong about your brother before. Surely I can get him to see reason, especially if you fulfill the Rites."

"The Rites of Return? I had almost forgotten about those old laws. You know I never really paid attention to my tutors in Old Government anyways."

Frigga hummed in disapproval but continued. "It would be a suitable solution, would it not? Return your valor in the eyes of your father, bring your bride to Asgard. A win-win, as the Midgardians say."

"Bride?" Loki interrupted.

"It is traditional, my son. Only a love showcased in marriage can fulfill the Rites to the extent needed to compel the Allfather."

Loki hesitated. He had never expected himself to be the marrying type, but he could see himself living out thousands of years with Katherine. He only hoped that he could make her as inordinately happy as he made him, that she could forget herself with one of his smiles as she stopped him in his tracks with hers.

But she would not live thousands of years. Norns, she would only live for a blink in the eyes of the Aesir, just a fraction of his time he would spend walking among the Nine Realms. She would grow old and grey, and he would remain as he was; or worse, revert to who he was before he had ever met her.

He would not do that to her, and he would be a fool to inflict it upon himself. He forced a weak smile. "It will take a while, Mother. Do not expect an engagement soon." The lie, as always, flowed smoothly off his tongue but Frigga met him with an expression of such understanding that made him question whether his mental guards were as strong as he had built them to be.

"Love can be stronger than you believe, Loki. Do not discount yourself so soon." Frigga rubbed his knee just as she did when he was a child. And, just as he did then, he leaned into her embrace as she rubbed his back comfortingly.

"Rest until morning, my son. We will test whether your Seiðr is as strong as you claim at dawn."

Loki smiled against her shoulder. "I look forward to it."

Frigga released him so he could stand, opening a portal to his chambers. She called out to him as he walked through, quietly as to not alert her maids next door.

"Loki?"

"Yes, Mother?"

"It brings me so much joy to see you again. I love you dearly."

Loki smiled. "As do I. More than you could possibly know." With a wave of his hand and a tendril of green magic, the portal winked out of sight. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Katherine in the next chapter, I promise! Also, I'm thinking about 15-20 chapters for this fic - I know I said 5-10 earlier but I fell in love with their relationship and must see it resolved.
> 
> Comments and kudos fuel me more than coffee ever will! Also, requests are re-opened now so leave some new ideas in the comments and I would love to check them out.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning for canon-typical violence in this chapter.

Katherine's life was a haze for the next few days, an incessant blur of work and sleep, but she did enjoy an outing with friends to break up the monotony. Mia and Stephen had been her two best friends since high school, helping her brave the catty socialites that dominated her teen years in New York. 

Stephen was one of the only men she trusted in her life, as they found each other through mutual traumas. Both of their parents had undergone nasty divorces when they were still children, with a narcissistic, abusive father on Katherine's side and an alcoholic mother on his. They had met at the courthouse, as their parent's cases backed up to one another on the docket. They had grown up with similar financial backgrounds as well and helped each other through the horrors of the inner city public school system.

While they had briefly entertained the idea of something more than friendship in their early years of middle school, Stephen and Katherine had quickly found that neither could sustain romantic feelings for the other.

They had accompanied each other to school dances and gone out for dinner dates to catch up, but they were mutually much happier remaining the best of friends. Since they came from lower-middle class families and worked as waitstaff, both Katherine and Stephen also supported each other with small loans that were never really due, but eventually evened out through their decade of friendship. 

Mia, on the other hand, came from a family that was incredibly wealthy. Out of the people that Katherine knew, probably only Tony had a larger net worth than her father, but Mia carried herself with such humility and grace that it was nearly impossible to tell. Because her family's law firm typically dealt with massive international litigations, they let the associates take especially compelling or drastic cases in their regions completely pro-bono. Mia's father had represented both of their unfortunate cases when he was a fledgling lawyer, letting his daughter play with Katherine and Stephen in the marbled halls outside the courtroom as the hours of speeches dragged on.

Their trio had solidified after one game of hide and seek, and they remained close to the day.

Each week, they met at the bar where Stephen worked as a bartender and caught up, discussing anything and everything about their day to day lives. Mia had recently passed her third anniversary with her boyfriend, so Katherine and Stephen continued to press her about all of the salacious details of their night of celebration, much to Mia's tipsy protest. 

"You horny bitches!" Mia hit Stephen on the shoulder, laughing while rolling her eyes. "It's none of your business what happens in my own damn bedroom."

"It very well is, missy," Katherine shook his head, trying to look stern between giggles. "We're your best friends, and we deserve to know all the nitty gritty details."

Mia, ever the lawyer's daughter, searched for something to deflect. "Hold on, you get to spill something first. How come you missed last week's meetup because you went to some party?"

Beet red, Katherine tried to play it off. "I really wanted to meet you guys, I just got invited to the Stark gala and thought it would be my best chance at networking. I can't be a waitress forever, y'all," she reminded them with a defeated sigh and a hint of that Texas twang. "But it was boring, I swear."

"Hold on!"

"Hey, we're not gonna brush past that!"

"You weren't with Hugh, right? That turd fucker can weasel his way into anything," Stephen grumbled.

Her friends shared a laugh as Katherine stiffened. They were well informed of his infatuation with her, but she hadn't told them anything about Hugh's assault or her rescuer. She shook it off. She would tell them later, in a less public setting. "Mia, you first," Katherine suggested.

"How the hell did you get an invite? You've got to practically know an Avenger to go to one of those," Mia frowned. She herself had been slighted out of an invitation, a rare occurrence for members of her family.

"Well, I do, kind of..." Katherine wavered, but threw caution to the wind seeing their shocked expressions. These were her closest friends, and if she couldn't tell them she couldn't tell anyone. "It's Loki."

There was a beat of silence before they both started talking at once.

"The man who nearly leveled my block?" Stephen asked, voice raising in accusatory pitch and garnering a couple concerned glances their way before the low din of the neighborhood bar won over again. "Thor's brother, Loki?" 

"Well yes, but-"

Mia jumped in. "He's dangerous, Katherine. And how'd you even meet?"

"He rescued me from a really uncomfortable situation, and we've gotten to be friends..."

"Friends?" They exclaimed at the same time. 

"With a mass murderer?" Mia asked incredulously. Her eyebrows were wrinkling her forehead in concern, and Stephen's face had twisted into a little bit of a sneer.

"He's changed!" Katherine insisted. "He's working with the Avengers now, trying to right his wrongs," she explained in a hushed tone, hesitating before moving forward. "It's not my place to tell you his story, but his intentions with me have been nothing but good, I promise you." 

Mia was calm, but she took both of Katherine's hands into her own and forced her to make eye contact.

"He's the God of Lies." She spared a glance at Stephen, who looked like he was trying not to yell. "Listen, we trust you, we just don't trust him. I don't care to know what he said - no one can make an about-face that fast without some sort of ulterior motives," Mia explained in a pacifying tone, but Katherine felt a twinge of anger growing in her gut.

"We don't mean to upset you, but this is unbelievable. I just don't understand how he could change so quickly after what he's done," Stephen said sharply.

It wasn't anger, Katherine realized. It was unfiltered sadness that Loki had endured this sort of immediate distrust, this web of suspicion his entire life. Her friends didn't ask how he felt about her, or care to find out what exactly he had saved her from. They didn't know how he had promised to protect her, even from across the realms. They didn't know the torture he had endured before he set foot on Earth, or that their mindset was the cause of its continued effect on the man who she cared for so deeply. 

"No, you didn’t upset me." Katherine forced a smile and stood up. "It's fine," she insisted, rather forcefully. She pulled some cash out of her wallet to cover her cocktail and laid it on the table, grabbing her bag quickly. "I'll see you guys next week, okay?"

"I'm sorry, Katherine. Call me if you need anything," Mia offered.

"See you next week," Stephen said weakly. Katherine just gave them a tight lipped, empty smile and fled out the door, clutching the strap of her tote for support. As she walked to her apartment, her throat grew heavy and her eyes watered with a few unshed tears as she thought about how her friends didn't even give Loki a chance, how they were so quick to dismiss that which they did not fully understand but once feared.

When she got to her room, she dried her eyes and pulled Freckles into her lap, scratching him right between his ears as the kitten purred contentedly. She checked the time – Loki should be back by now, she thought – and grabbed for her laptop to check some emails and see if any of her scholarship applications had gone through. 

After an hour or so of working and just a few instances of feline distraction via what was apparently a very comfortable keyboard, Katherine heard a heavy knock on her apartment door. It must be Loki, she reasoned, and so she ignored the unknown number that had just dialed her phone twice and saved her work. She set Freckles down with a final loving scratch, jumped off her couch, straightened the pillows, and walked over to the front door before flinging it open. But it wasn't the God of Mischief standing there.

It was Hugh, and a group of heavily armed hired hands.

Katherine froze up for an instant in shock before springing into action, grabbing the plant next to the door and hurling it at them

Hugh strode towards her and Katherine landed a well-placed kick to his groin, but when he cried out and doubled over the men flanking him rushed forward and restrained her struggling form, one of them stepping on her left wrist until it crunched under the guard's steel toed boot. Hugh loomed over her, and spat in her face. 

Katherine kept kicking and screaming, begging that someone in her apartment would hear her. She scrabbled backward with her feet, her left wrist throbbing with pain only dulled by adrenaline. She felt the necklace resting on her collarbones grow warm, and shut her tightly to the sharp golden glow that emanated from the gem. When Hugh grabbed for her, he wrenched his hand away with a scream as the necklace let out a sharp burst of energy, knocking the male like a wrecking ball through her already splintered doorway. The guards rushing through the doorway immediately trained their guns on her, red points of light dotting her chest. 

Hugh, brushing himself off, leered at her from behind the men and cracked his knuckles. 

"Now I've got you, bitch."

* * *

  
The guards of Asgard awoke to a massive blast of energy, shaking the birds out of their palace perches and sending rumors flying about the castle. 

Frigga had taken an apprentice.

That actually wasn't far from the truth. Loki and his mother had agreed that he shouldn't show his visage lest he incur the wrath of Odin, so Loki had modified his face to fit that of a stable boy he played around with as a child. So while the original assumption of the palace guards may have been false, today Loki was acting every bit an apprentice to his mother as he could. While trading blows, he asked her questions about himself and his Seiðr, and she would answer as truthfully as she could without pressing him on motives behind the line of inquiry. That agreement, though unspoken, was clear. 

Currently, Loki had cloned himself and left copies to slowly encroach upon her stance in the middle of the packed-dirt arena, throwing dulled blades in her direction to unbalance her. With a sweeping wave of her hand, Frigga drew her Seiðr around her and pushed it outward, shredding Loki's illusions and throwing him backwards onto his ass. 

Loki huffed. "I can feel that my magic isn't at full strength, but I have yet to determine its cause." He wiped off the dirt sticking to the sweat on his hairline. 

With a chuckle, she offered him a dainty hand. "Your Jotunn heritage makes you stronger, a better conduit to more primal magics. This means more power, but more risk as well. The threads of the Norns are - how shall I say this - sensitive."

Loki accepted her arm gratefully, but as soon as his muscles tensed to wrench him upright Frigga unceremoniously dropped him. 

"That was for stealing my cat." Slighted but amused, Loki failed to surpress a smile as he picked himself up without her help. "Back on topic, Mother. Ljós?"

She hummed before continuing. "Focused as ever. Yes, Yggdrasil's loom is not a fickle thing, but the threads of Ljós are constantly being re-woven and replaced. Strain them too much, and they'll snap. External factors like excessive friction, extreme temperatures, and age all cause a disconnect from the individual to the other threads," she explained.

"And as the threads are connected to us, we are equally responsible for their care," Loki completed her thought. "Traumas that occur in our experienced reality can affect the fabric of it as a whole."

"Precisely," Frigga smiled at him approvingly. 

Suddenly, Loki felt a tug in his gut as and his attention snapped away from his mother to Midgard, the protection magic woven into the delicate chain he had created for Katherine sending piercing signals of her distress directly to the forefront of his consciousness.

She was in danger.

"And to be repaired, they must..." Frigga stopped when Loki dropped his knives in the billowing dirt. Immediately, Frigga's eyes snapped to his own, wild with unbridled fear and anger.

"Mother, I have to go."

"It's the girl?" Loki's magic crackled around him as he nodded."I have to go to her. Now!"

Without saying a word Frigga snapped open a portal to the Bifrost observatory, holding up a hand before Heimdall could protest at the banished prince sprinting towards the keysword. Loki shared a warm parting glance with his mother before throwing himself into the speeding kaleidoscope of light.

As Loki hurtled towards Earth and refined his destination, all he felt was calm. A storm of aching, devastating calm that would tear at those who dared go near his eye, his woman, his very center.

So when he appeared in her apartment and saw guns being pointed at her heart, he was understandably a little upset. 

Remaining invisible, he first checked her for wounds and found the most prominent one throbbing in her wrist, he sent a flick of healing magic to mend her broken bones as painlessly as possible. Her screams faltered, and he spoke quickly inside her mind.

_You are safe, my love. I am here. They will be punished._

"Loki!" Katherine sobbed in relief, looking wildly around her to try and find the source of his voice. Assuming she was growing hysterical, Hugh continued. "Not so tough when you're all alone now, are you? Can't even get up a good, clean hit job because of that freak." 

He gripped her shoulder in his meaty hand and yanked her close to him. "We just wanted to tie up some loose ends. Can't have my reputation tarnished, you know. _Our little secret."_ He whispered against her tear-streaked cheek.

"But you, Kitty. He's obsessed with you. Infatuated. The bomb at the Met should've dropped ya easy, but the motherfucker had to pull his magic stunt and that's when we knew we had to keep you around." He trailed his finger down her neck, and Katherine tried to bite him. Hugh laughed with a smile that didn't reach his cold eyes. 

"He'll do anything if we have you."

Loki had heard enough. The God stepped like a wraith out of the shadows and silently pressed a lovingly sharpened blade very, very firmly against Hugh's jugular. Slamming the quivering man against the wall, he curled his free hand laced with pulsing magic into a fist and squeezed, throwing the men in a six foot radius away from Katherine and onto the ground and vanishing their guns in puffs of smoke. 

Freckles had located his prey and grew to hunt it, morphing into a massive jet-black panther and leaping onto the arm of the couch to climb protectively over Katherine. The former kitten let out a low, menacing growl that quieted the room but only widened Loki's smile.

"Anything is right."

That familiar look of fear shot through Hugh's eyes again, and Loki peeled back the layer of his Aesir illusion to squeeze the sniveling man's throat with a cerulean hand. He ground his elbow into the wound that was undoubtedly still healing from their last encounter on his shoulder, causing him to scream through Loki's choking hold. 

Choking, but not freezing, Loki noticed with alarm. When he crunched the gutter snake's windpipe with his Jotunn skin until he slumped to the ground on the edge of consciousness, it should have frozen the delicate parts of his trachea. 

Loki filed it in the back of his mind, too consumed with his punishment to care. 

"There will be consequences for this, little mortal," he singsonged in barely a whisper, silencing his moans of pain him with a casual flick of his finger. With another wave, a tendril of magic wrapped around his arm from his shoulder, taking the form of a translucent emerald python that lunged from his fingertips and slammed into Hugh's chest, passing clean through and tightening around his heartbeat. It left only a faint green glow as his pet sunk it's teeth into his heart and forcing Hugh out of the ease of painless escape and back to reality. 

Magic-laced venom pumped directly into the rabbiting heart, burning though his veins in excruciating fashion. Every step he took, the injuries that Loki had inflicted would return in full force.

Loki pressed a thumb to his forehead, telepathically forcing his way into the human's mind like wrapping paper and planting reoccurring dreams of this day, of his punishment. Wreathed in Seiðr, he left his psyche after planting an omnipresent promise: that this was final, and this was the direct result of his actions. And then he finally allowed Hugh to pass out.

He was a merciful God. 

When Loki confirmed that he was no longer a threat, he stood up immediately, searching for Katherine. She was standing, clutching her still-healing wrist and ran towards him, seeking support in his arms.

I'm sorry I couldn't be here sooner," he whispered into her chest that was heaving with hiccuping sobs.

"It's okay. I'm okay now," she sniffled, trembling in his hold. "I knew you would come."

Loki pressed a kiss on the top of her head and squeezed her tighter, breathing in her scent that confirmed that she was alive and well, carnage around them forgotten. It had been years since Loki cried, but the tears flowed freely now, soaking into her hair. He had almost failed in his promise to her. But more importantly, it brought him to the realization that his protection wasn't just friendship or attraction, or even the lust that he once thought was the only factor to affection.

It was love. Unadulterated, plain and simple love. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ✨refuse to proofread✨ so there may be typos. Lmk and I'll fix them. 
> 
> On a much lighter note, what do you think about WandaVision? I thought it was excellent but I wish they would’ve come out with more/longer episodes - I had assumed they would all be out at once!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I made some edits to the last chapter - Katherine's characterization wasn't sitting right with me. Feel free to reread and comment what you think!

Loki dropped to his knees, wrapping his arms around Katherine's midsection and pressing his head to her sternum to hear her rabbiting heartbeat. He squeezed her tight, wiping the moisture from his eyes on her shirt before sitting back on his heels and looking up at her with anguish. 

"My darling, this is inexcusable. I have put you in danger more than once. I swore to protect you and yet nothing has come from our relationship but harm. If you wish to reject my offer, I understand fully." He bowed his head, fearing the worst.

Involuntarily, he had tilted his head to the side to expose his neck to any outside force that Katherine would have deemed fit, as if he expected her to hurt him for failing her.

Katherine shook her head violently. "No, Loki. It's not your fault that this happened, and you shouldn't blame yourself. There are evil men everywhere, and I would rather have you by my side when I meet them."

He looked up at her reverently. "You honor me, love."

"What did your mom say?" Katherine pulled Loki to his feet, looking around her wrecked apartment. Freckles, still a panther, leaped off the couch and ran over to the pair to intertwine between their legs. 

Loki smiled fondly, checking her again for irregularities or wounds as he did so. He found none but an elevated heart rate.

"She likes you as much as I do. I must admit, she's done her research on you."

Puzzled, Katherine furrowed her eyebrows.

Loki continued. "It's one of the only aspects of Seiðr I don't possess, much to my mother's chagrin. She uses a scrying bowl to view nearly any part of the realms if the magical connection is strong."

She snorted. "And I thought Heimdall was bad when Thor told me about his spyin'. Being spied on by your boyfriend's mother - that's worse."

Loki crowded into her slightly, eyes dilated as he placed large hands on her waist. "Hearing you claim me in that way... undoes me," he smirked at the end as a gasp of surprise left her parted lips when their bodies met. 

"Now that we are courting, my love," he whispered into her ear, nipping the lobe with his teeth ever so gently, "I will have to _up my game_ , as the mortals say."

Katherine giggled. "Fortunate that I'm dating the God of Mischief, then." Loki pressed a feather-light kiss on her slender jaw as her breathing got heavier. 

"Indeed, darling. May I ask a favor of you?"

"Anything," Katherine agreed immediately. Loki's eyes flashed with mischief, and she backpedaled quickly. "Within reason, you rascal."

"Come live with me. At the Tower. Just for a few days, so that I can ensure your safety." Katherine thought for a moment, then nodded. "Is Tony okay with Freckles coming?"

The corner of Loki's mouth twitched, but he schooled his face into a serious expression. "Pepper will agree, and that's what matters. Every good man should bow to the will of his woman."

Katherine laughed. "Yet you still use the possessives to refer to women. Your feminism needs work, Loki." As her chest shook lightly, Loki's ears picked up a mechanical whirring outside her door, easily recognized as one of Stark's suits. Katherine glanced up at him, then in the direction he had focused on as Loki flicked a finger to pull the door inward. 

Tony came busting through as he was clearly about to shoot the lock with a flowing metal reactor. When he caught a glimpse of the two of them, his metal face plating snapped open revealing a look of alarm on his face. 

"Katherine, someone was here, at your apartment, and I tried to get ahold of you..." he gestured at her phone, and Katherine assumed that he must have been the cell number she didn't recognize. Pepper, not far behind him, laid a soft hand on his shoulder and scanned the wrecked apartment. Loki, not missing a beat, tapped his foot to send Seiðr wicking around to begin the repairs from Hugh and his goon squad's assault. The men were trussed up in the center of her kitchen, gagged and bound like the boars were on feast day in Asgard. Hugh was still passed out, his body splayed and head lolling forward from where he had been thrown against the wall now punched clean through. 

"Looks like Loki's gotten it taken care of. You okay, both of you?" Katherine nodded and dropped her head to the God of Mischief's still-armored chest. Loki winked, though she wasn't sure if it was aimed at her or Pepper. 

"More than okay," Loki smiled. He waved a hand to finish making her apartment completely as it was before, though he noted that it felt a little warmer than usual. A bead of sweat trickled down his back, but he ignored it after looking at the amazement in Katherine's eyes. 

In fact, most of the time he forgot what was thinking at the sight of her. Even with dust smeared on her cheek and a bruise on her shin blooming, she was exquisite. Actually, Loki couldn't believe his luck that she had fallen for him just as much as he had her. At every turn, her stunning kindness and quiet strength amazed him, and her beauty was only a complement to the fire in her heart. She amazed him, which is why he fought to please her at every turn. 

Tony's head whipped back and forth from the entangled pair to his beaming wife before a look of understanding finally crested his blank expression. 

"You and Rock of Ages, really?"

Katherine hugged Loki a little tighter. "Well he did save my life - a few times, actually."

Loki frowned. "I told you not to make it a habit."

The Iron Man crossed his arms. "Says the God of Lies."

Pepper smoothed her hand over Tony's metal bicep. "She'll keep Mischief out of trouble, that's for sure. More time to ourselves." She smiled at him and laid a gentle kiss on his lips. 

Tony beamed. "I'm sold. When's the move in?"

"Don't you think it's a little fast? We've been dating all of five minutes," she teased. "Sure is nicer than these digs though," she wrinkled her nose as she glanced up at the suspicious dark spot on the ceiling. 

Tony looked around, but pointedly kept his gaze on the whimpering men in the kitchen. "The Tower's probably a bit... noisier then your used to."

"I grew up with parents going through a six year divorce. I'll be fine."

Tony winced. He knew the issues of estranged parents firsthand, and he knew that his parents were on the brink of splitting when they died. "Well now you've got us, kid." 

"I'm twenty four, Mr. Stark."

"Yeah, and I've stuck to Whole30," he quipped. Pepper looked at him incredulously before she hitting him on the back, wincing and shaking her hand when it hit the metal. The pain only made her madder. 

"Anthony Edward Stark! I've been eating nothing but vegetables for THREE WEEKS!" Pepper shrieked. 

Katherine and Loki shared a glance and chuckled, but Pepper wasn't finished. She plastered on a calm expression for a friendly "See you at the Tower!" and dragged the Iron Man out by his hair, metal suit clinking and whirring as F.R.I.D.A.Y helped the sputtering and cursing woman pull him into the hallway. 

They had just shared another laugh when Katherine heard a choking cough and whipped her head around to the men in her kitchen, still struggling to get untied from the shimmering thick chain that Loki had wrapped around the hired hands. Hugh was still passed out on the floor, as the God ensured that he would be when he woke up in a prison cell. 

Loki reached for Katherine's hand, kissed her knuckles, and teleported them to his bedroom with a flash of magic. In doing so, he sent a message to a S.H.I.E.L.D contact in the NYPD to ensure that the men were picked up and dealt with smoothly. The glimmers of magic faded away as Katherine laughed in amazement. 

The dazzling magic would never get old to her, she thought, as she stared at the last embers of Seiðr sizzle out on the hardwoods. Loki smiled at her wonder, the corners of his mouth white. 

"Loki?" Katherine asked, a look of worry scrunching her eyebrows as she caught his expression.

He waved her off, plastering on a smile. "All good, darling." She didn't look convinced, but she dropped it for his sake. 

Just then, the elevator door pleasantly dinged and they heard Pepper's voice, still sniping at Tony for breaking their couple's diet. 

Loki straightened his spine and offered his hand to the giggling Katherine as she looped her arm through his instead, ready to explore her new home. 


End file.
